Multiple corps members confirmed receiving their February allowance on Friday night, only to find out that it remained unchanged at ₦33,000—less than half of the new amount that was supposedly approved.
Despite assurances from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) that the monthly allowance would increase to ₦77,000 starting February 2025, the Tinubu-led Nigerian government has continued to pay the old ₦33,000 stipend, SaharaReporters has learned.
In January, NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Yushau Ahmed, publicly stated that the increase was a done deal, pending only 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 told corps members in Katsina State, assuring them they would receive ₦77,000 by February.
However, February has come and gone, and the promise remains unfulfilled.
The government has not provided any official explanation for the failure to implement the increase, leaving corps members frustrated amidst Nigeria’s worsening economic crisis.
With inflation soaring and the cost of living becoming unbearable, the ₦33,000 allowance is no longer sufficient to cover even basic needs. Many corps members struggle to afford food, transportation, and accommodation, as essential commodity prices continue to skyrocket due to economic challenges and naira depreciation.
A corps member serving in Oyo expressed his disappointment: “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.”
Another corps member in Kano lamented that the delay in the allowance increment is yet another example of the government’s insensitivity to the struggles 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 failure to implement the promised increase has further eroded trust in the Tinubu administration, which has been widely criticized for its economic policies that have worsened inflation, unemployment, and poverty across the country.
