- The NYSC projected a N307.6 billion expenditure for corps members’ allowances in 2025, following an increase in the monthly stipend to N77,000
- The Federal Government allocated N430.7 billion to the NYSC in 2025, with N372.9 billion earmarked for allowances
- The new N77,000 stipend will begin in March 2025, despite delays in disbursing the funds due to cash-backing issues
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is projected to spend as much as N307.6 billion on the mobilisation and payment of allowances to corps members in 2025, following a significant increase in their monthly stipends from N33,000 to N77,000. This increase came after the signing of the new minimum wage bill into law in May 2024.
The NYSC typically mobilises between 1,200 and 1,500 corps members for the orientation exercise across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with three batches (A, B, and C) held annually.
This results in an average of 55,500 corps members per batch, bringing the total number of corps members mobilised in a year to 333,000.
At the new allowance rate of N77,000, the total payment for each batch of corps members amounts to N25.64 billion.
Over the course of the year, this brings the total allocated for corps members’ allowances to N307.6 billion.
In the 2025 budget proposal presented by President Bola Tinubu in December 2024, the Federal Government allocated N430.7 billion to the NYSC, the highest budgetary allocation in the past five years. Of this amount, N372.9 billion (representing 86.5%) was earmarked for the payment of corps members’ allowances.
Despite this allocation, the Federal Government has yet to implement the payment of the new N77,000 allowance, even though it was announced in September 2024.
The NYSC had initially planned to begin payments in February 2025, but this has been delayed due to the unavailability of the necessary cash backing.
In response to the delay, the acting Director of Press and Public Relations at the NYSC, Caroline Embu, explained that the scheme was still awaiting the required funds.
The newly appointed Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has reportedly assured that the payments will commence in March 2025.
However, concerns about the delay have been raised, especially given that the announcement regarding the new allowances was made five months ago.
The delay in implementation has left many corps members waiting for their increased stipends, raising questions about the efficiency of the system and the reasons behind the continued hold-up.
Efforts to reach the NYSC spokesperson for further clarification were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to her went unanswered.
The ongoing situation has also sparked debates about the priority of funding allocations, particularly with the increasing budget for the NYSC.
NYSC gives directive on redeployment for married female corps members
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) issued a directive to married female corps members posted away from their husbands to seek redeployment to a more suitable location.
The scheme announced this on X, formerly Twitter, in a post published on Monday, August 26.
