From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called for a probe of the leadership of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) over the non-payment of the approved N77,000 monthly allowance for serving corps members.
NANS expressed dismay that NYSC is yet to implement the payment of the new allowance to the corps members months after approval by the Federal Government.
The Federal Government had approved an increase in the corps members’ monthly allowance from N33,000 to N77,000, effective from July 2024.
The Director-General of the NYSC, Brig. Gen. Yushau Ahmed, stated that the new allowance was not implemented due to the non-release of funds.
But NANS, in a statement by its National Vice President, Inter-Campus Affairs, Akinbodunse Sileola Felicia, on Monday, said the call for the probe had become imperative following the failure of the NYSC to commence payment of the new corps monthly allowance by the end of February as promised by the Director-General of the Corps.
She wondered what delayed the payment after the official announcement by Brig. Ahmed Yushau that corps members would start receiving the N77,000 in February 2025.
According to her in the statement, findings by her office revealed that corps members received only N33,000 for their February allowance last Friday, against N77,000 promised by the NYSC DG.
Akinbodunse noted that the FG and many state governments have since begun to pay their workers the new minimum wage of N70,000, adding that the NYSC has no justification to withhold the payment of the new approved allowance to corps members.
She pointed out that it would amount to gross injustice on the part of corps members to still be receiving the old allowance months after approval and implementation by the Federal Government.
While calling on the NYSC to give reasons behind the failure to implement the payment of the N77,000 corps monthly allowance, she insisted that the FG should investigate the matter to determine the cause of the delay.
She added that the failure to pay the new allowance to corps members could dampen their morale, especially in the face of the economic situation in the country.
The NANS National Vice President, however, submitted that “the leadership of the student body would equally interface with the NYSC to find out why corps members are yet to benefit from the new minimum wage of N77,000, even when staff of the NYSC are receiving the increase in pay from the Federal Government.”