The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has reassured corps members who recently completed their national service that they will receive the arrears of the N77,000 allowance.
Director-General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, made this assurance during the Batch A 2025 pre-mobilisation workshop for heads of corps-producing institutions and other stakeholders in Abuja on Thursday.
The Nigerian government began paying the N77,000 allowance to corps members last month, following the signing of the minimum wage bill into law by President Bola Tinubu. The payment came after an eight-month delay.
Speaking to reporters at the event, the Director-General confirmed that the government is committed to fulfilling its promise. He said, “The government is quite conscious of its promise, and within the budgetary provision, the government is going to handle that. Once funds are released to us to offset the arrears, we will pay them. Even our corps members that passed out recently will benefit. Once we receive cash backing for the arrears, we are going to credit them; we have their bank details.”
Brigadier General Nafiu reassured Nigerians, saying that the government is both responsible and responsive to the needs of the corps members.
However, the Director of Corps Mobilisation, Mohammed Abubakar, highlighted ongoing issues faced by the NYSC, including the fraudulent uploading of unqualified graduates by tertiary institutions. He emphasized the need to address these challenges as the next batch of mobilised corps members prepares for service.
“We have made remarkable progress in recent years, greatly reducing challenges, thanks to innovative approaches and better collaboration. However, we still face serious issues, particularly concerning the fraudulent uploading of unqualified graduates, which we must address,” Abubakar said.
The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, stressed the need for reform in the NYSC scheme to align it with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration. He emphasized that the scheme must evolve to meet the demands of a changing society and adequately prepare graduates for the job market.
“Reforming the NYSC mobilisation is not the job of the government alone. It is a collaborative effort. We can build an NYSC that is adaptive, inclusive and will serve our future generations,” Olawande said.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, represented by Abdullahi Suleiman, the Mandate Secretary for Youth and Sports, assured the NYSC of continued support from the FCT administration throughout the service year.
