The Federal Government has said that young Nigerian graduates undergoing the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) will be paid arrears of the new ₦77,000 monthly allowance.
The Federal Government had announced the increasing of corps members’ allowance from ₦33,000 to ₦77, 000 in September 2024.
However, serving corps members and those in the scheme when the increment was announced in September 2024 will receive a backdated payment, according to Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande, who gave the assurance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“You saw the new DG saying that you will get it, and they’re asking him a question ‘What about those that are going out now, are they going to receive it [backlog]?’ He said ‘We have your details’,” the minister said.
“The backlog, we will work on it and make sure it is paid. It may not be immediate but it will happen,” Olawande assured.
According to the minister, the delay in the implementation of the new NYSC members’ allowance arose from budgetary issues.
“I’ve explained this several times. Some people said, I always say ‘It is a process. It is a process.’ But it’s seriously a process. It’s a government line. You cannot do a corner piece to do it. It was not in the budget when the president announced it, and for some agencies and parastatals, you need your salary to be in the budget before it is paid,” the youth development minister said.
“Before anybody can approve anything, you must have a budgetary allocation for it. But the budgetary allocation has been done now. We are done with the process and it has been approved. It has been signed, and now they can start paying it.”
While unveiling the increase in September 2024, the Federal Government said it was in line with the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024.
Last week, the Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Olakunle Nafiu asked corps members to expect the implementation of the new allowance in March, a move Olawande corroborated during the show.
