The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is set to spend N307.6 billion on the mobilization and allowances for corps members.
This expenditure stems from a recent increase in the corps members’ allowances, which rose from N33,000 to N77,000, a change announced by the NYSC in September 2024. The hike followed the implementation of the new minimum wage bill signed into law in May 2024.
The NYSC typically mobilizes between 1,200 and 1,500 corps members for the orientation exercise across camps in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with three batches—A, B, and C—annually.
This brings the total number of mobilized corps members to approximately 333,000 each year. With each corps member receiving N77,000, the total allowance per batch reaches N25.64 billion. For the entire year, the total allowance allocation is expected to amount to N307.6 billion.
In the 2025 budget proposal, President Bola Tinubu allocated N430.7 billion to the NYSC, marking the highest allocation in five years. Of this, N372.9 billion (86.5%) is earmarked for corps members’ allowances.
Despite the allocation, the payment of the new allowance rate has not yet been implemented, five months after its announcement. Caroline Embu, the acting Director of Press and Public Relations, explained that the NYSC is still awaiting the necessary cash backing.
The newly appointed NYSC Director-General, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, assured in a message that payments would begin in March.
Efforts to reach the NYSC spokesperson for further comments were unsuccessful, as calls and messages went unanswered.
Punch
