The National Youth Service Corps is anticipated to allocate a substantial sum of N307.6 billion for the purpose of mobilizing and disbursing stipends to its corps members.
This financial projection stems from the augmentation of corps members’ monthly allowances, which experienced an elevation from N33,000 to N77,000, as officially announced by the NYSC via a published statement in September of 2024. This adjustment was implemented subsequent to the enactment of the revised national minimum wage legislation into law during May of 2024.
On a routine basis, the NYSC facilitates the mobilization of between 1,200 and 1,500 corps members for the orientation program, conducted across various camps situated in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. This mobilization process is executed in three distinct phases annually, designated as batches A, B, and C.
This procedure results in an approximate count of 55,500 corps members per batch, culminating in a yearly mobilization total of 333,000 individuals. With each corps member now entitled to receive N77,000, the aggregate disbursement for a single batch amounts to N25.64 billion. Throughout the entirety of the year, this aggregate expenditure translates to a total allocation of N307.6 billion for corps members’ allowances.
Within the 2025 budgetary proposal, presented by President Bola Tinubu to the National Assembly in December of 2024, the Federal Government designated N430.7 billion for the NYSC, marking the highest budgetary allocation within the past five years.
From this allocation, N372.9 billion, constituting 86.5 percent of the total budgetary provision, was specifically allocated for the disbursement of corps members’ allowances.
Nevertheless, the Federal Government has yet to initiate the payment of the newly established N77,000 allowance rate, despite the lapse of five months since its announcement on September 25, 2024.
Following the failure to execute the payments during February, the acting Director of Press and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, clarified that the NYSC was still awaiting the requisite cash backing.
“The provision of the necessary cash backing remains pending,” Embu articulated in a concise response to our correspondent.
In a communication via WhatsApp, observed by our correspondent on Wednesday, the recently appointed Director-General of the Scheme, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, reportedly offered assurances that payments would commence in March.
Attempts to establish contact with the NYSC spokesperson for further commentary on the matter proved unsuccessful, as both calls and messages directed to her remained unanswered.
