FG speaks on corps members backlog payment

After months of delay, the Federal Government has reassured members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) that they will receive the backlog of the new ₦77,000 monthly allowance, which was approved in September 2024 but has yet to be implemented.

The assurance was given by the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today. He confirmed that serving corps members and those in the scheme when the allowance was increased would receive backdated payments.

“You saw the new DG saying that you will get it, and they’re asking him, ‘What about those that are going out now? Are they going to receive the backlog?’ He said, ‘We have your details,’” Olawande stated.

“The backlog, we will work on it and make sure it is paid. It may not be immediate, but it will happen.”

The new NYSC allowance, which increased from ₦33,000 to ₦77,000, was part of the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024. However, six months after the announcement, corps members have yet to receive the adjusted payment, despite multiple assurances from government officials.

Last week, the NYSC Director-General, Olakunle Nafiu, assured corps members that the implementation of the new allowance would begin in March 2025. Olawande backed this claim, emphasizing that payment delays were due to budgetary constraints.

“I’ve explained this several times. Some people say I always say ‘It is a process.’ But it’s seriously a process. It’s a government line. You cannot cut corners to do it,” Olawande explained.

According to him, the salary increment was not initially included in the budget when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced it. He emphasized that salaries must have budgetary allocations before payments can be processed.

“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, it has been approved, it has been signed, and now they can start paying it.”

With the assurance from both the NYSC DG and the Youth Minister, corps members across the country now anticipate the long-awaited implementation of the ₦77,000 allowance, marking a significant relief after months of uncertainty.