Corps Members Decry Unchanged N33,000 Allowance Amid Economic Struggles

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) recently promised to increase corps members’ monthly allowance to N77,000 starting February 2025, but the Tinubu-led government has continued to pay the old N33,000 stipend, according to SaharaReporters.

Several corps members confirmed receiving their February allowance on Friday night, only to discover that it remained at N33,000 — less than half of the newly approved amount.

This situation goes against the assurances made by NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Yushau Ahmed, in January, when he publicly stated that the allowance increase was final and only dependent on the passage of the 2025 budget.

“The Federal Government has already approved the increment of your allowance. It is no longer news; we have the approval in our hands. What we are waiting for is just the passage of the budget,” Ahmed had assured corps members in Katsina State, promising that they would begin receiving N77,000 by February.

However, February has passed, and the promise remains unkept.

The Tinubu government has not given any official reason for not implementing the increase, leaving corps members frustrated and stranded as the economic crisis deepens.

With the rising inflation and escalating cost of living in Nigeria, the N33,000 allowance no longer meets the basic needs of corps members.

Due to poor economic policies and the depreciation of the naira under Tinubu’s administration, the cost of necessities has skyrocketed, making it difficult for many to afford food, transportation, and accommodation.

A corps member serving in Oyo voiced his frustration, stating, ”How do they expect us to survive on ₦33,000 when everything is expensive? They told us we would get ₦77,000 this month, and now they have failed again. This government keeps making promises but never delivers.”

The delay in the allowance increment, according to another corps member in Kano, is just another instance of the government’s insensitivity to the plight of young Nigerians.

“We are serving our country, yet we cannot even afford decent meals. The government knows that ₦33,000 is not enough, but they don’t care. They keep making empty promises while we suffer,” she said.

The Tinubu administration has been heavily attacked for its economic policies that have exacerbated poverty, unemployment, and inflation nationwide, and the failure to carry out the promised rise in allowances has further damaged public confidence in the government.