Tag: NYSC

After months of delays, the Federal Government has commenced the payment of the revised N77,000 monthly allowance for members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Several corps members confirmed receiving credit alerts reflecting the increased stipend on Wednesday, ending the prolonged wait that had led to frustration and protests.

This comes days after the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, assured Nigerians during a television interview that payments would be made by the end of March. 

However, while the new stipend has been disbursed, arrears owed to corps members remain unsettled.

A source in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) confirmed that the outstanding arrears were not paid with the new allowance. 

The official explained that the government was still working on the details and assured that the backlogs would be cleared soon.

The increase in corps members’ allowances was first announced in September 2023, raising the monthly stipend from N33,000 to N77,000 to align with the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024. Despite the approval, implementation stalled due to financial constraints and administrative processes.

Read Also: NYSC girl (Ushie Rita Uguamaye): A case of being smart by half

Speaking on the matter, Olawande defended the government’s slow response, stating that while President Bola Tinubu had approved the raise months ago, the required budgetary allocations were not in place at the time.

“It was not in the budget when the President announced it. Some agencies and parastatals need to have their salaries included in the budget before anything can be done or paid out,” he said.

The Minister clarified the necessary budgetary adjustments had been completed, allowing the government to proceed with payments.

“Anybody can approve anything, but you must have a budgetary allocation for it. Now, they are done with the process. It has been approved and signed. Now, they can start taking it,” he added.

The Director General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, also gave assurances last week that corps members would begin receiving payments this month.

While the disbursement of the N77,000 allowance marks a significant milestone, corps members continue to anticipate the resolution of pending arrears, hoping that the government follows through on its promises without further delays.

• Fed Govt clears full-time  HND graduates for national service

The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, has said the payment of N77,000 allowance will start by the end of this month.

He said the NYSC and Federal Government are responsive to the welfare of corps members and would continue to ensure that their well-being is accorded maximum priority at all times.

Nafiu announced this while interacting with corps members in Wuse and Garki NYSC zonal offices of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday in Abuja.

In a statement by the acting Director of Information and Public Relations of the NYSC, Caroline Embu, the director-general, who thanked the corps members for their selfless service to the nation, advised them to remain calm, dedicated, focused and disciplined.

He praised the founding father of the scheme for conceiving the vision, suggesting that all and sundry should rally round the scheme.

Nafiu described the NYSC as a beautiful scheme that is building bridges and exposing graduate youths to learn and understand the cultural values of places outside their places of birth.

The DG promised that the scheme’s management would continue to instill the virtues of patriotism, discipline, self-restraint, good morals, leadership qualities and teamwork in the successive batches of corps members.

He said: “With effect from March, you are going to receive the sum of N77,000 as your monthly allowance.

“The NYSC is good at record-keeping. I can assure you that your money will be paid. The nation and the scheme appreciate you.”

Speaking on behalf of her colleagues at G arki zone, a corps member, Zaka Deborah Alheri, hailed Nafiu for his conscientious efforts towards the payment of their increased monthly allowance.

Read Also: WIMA seeks govt support to access equipment for mechanised farming

Also, the Federal Government has authorised the NYSC to mobilise full-time Higher National Diploma (HND) graduates for the national service.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who broke the news, confirmed that only full-time HND graduates are eligible and can now proceed with their mobilisation.

He urged the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to expedite the collation of data for eligible HND graduates.

A statement yesterday in Abuja by the Director of Press and Public Relations in the Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, said: “The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, is pleased to announce the resolution of the long-standing issue regarding the mobilisation of Higher National Diploma (HND) graduates for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). Following a dialogue with the Director-General of NYSC, the Minister confirmed that only full-time HND graduates are eligible and can now proceed with their mobilisation.

“This development marks a significant breakthrough for full-time HND graduates who were previously excluded from the NYSC programme. It underscores the Federal Ministry of Education’s commitment to equity, fairness, and inclusivity in the nation’s education system. However, those who did HND part-time are not eligible for mobilisation at all.”

The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, has assured that the payment of the newly increased monthly allowance of N77,000 to corps members will begin in March.

This was confirmed in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by the Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu.

Nafiu made the announcement while interacting with corps members at the NYSC Zonal Offices in Wuse and Garki, Federal Capital Territory.

He assured the corps members that both the scheme and the Federal Government were committed to their welfare and would continue prioritising their well-being.

“With effect from March, you are going to receive the sum of Seventy-Seven Thousand Naira as your monthly allowance.

“NYSC is good at record-keeping, and I can assure you that your money will be paid. The nation and the scheme appreciate you,” Nafiu said.

Read Also: NAUS urges Fed Govt to fulfill NYSC payment promise

He thanked the corps members for their selfless service and encouraged them to remain calm, dedicated, focused, and disciplined.

Nafiu also emphasised the significance of the NYSC scheme, stating that it was an initiative that built bridges and exposed graduates to cultural values beyond their places of birth.

The Director-General further stated that the NYSC management would continue to instill virtues such as patriotism, discipline, self-restraint, good morals, leadership qualities, and teamwork in future batches.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Government approved the increase in corps members’ monthly allowance to N77,000 in September 2024, with the new allowance taking effect from July 2024.

Prior to this increase, corps members received a monthly allowance of N33,000. The raise aligns with the enactment of the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024.
(NAN) 

Amid the ongoing crisis in the Osun State local government areas over control tussles, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has relocated the monthly clearance centers for corps members.

The Nation recalled that since February 17, 2025, there have been crises in local government following the Court of Appeal’s reinstatement of council executives of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who were elected on October 15, 2022.

The crisis, which has lingered for weeks, resulted in the killings of both APC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains over control of 30 councils in the state.

Local government activities, including NYSC affairs, have suffered as a result.

The office of the Local Government Inspector (LGI) of the scheme, among others, is located in the councils.

Read Also: NYSC staff, corps members shun Osun councils amid LG crisis

The Nation reports that NYSC staff and members have avoided the council, affecting the weekly Community Development Service (CDS) and other activities.

Checks by our correspondent revealed that the monthly clearance exercise for corps members, which commenced yesterday, has been relocated to the premises of public schools in the state.

For Osogbo, clearance is being held at Osogbo Grammar School, while Olorunda LGA has relocated its exercise to Fakunle Unity School’s adjacent stadium.

It was also gathered that Iwo and Ola-Oluwa councils have moved corps members to public schools.

Staff of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and corps members on Thursday shunned 30 local government councils in Osun State, skipping their weekly Community Development Service (CDS) due to the ongoing local government control crisis. 

Checks by The Nation revealed that several council secretariats across the state were either locked or partially opened.

Among those affected were Osogbo, Olorunda, Boripe, Ede North, Ede South, Ifelodun, Odo-Otin, and Bolorunduro. 

Read Also: Senate queries funding of MOFI with N150bat FMBN’s expense

Despite Thursday being the designated day for general CDS, neither corps members nor NYSC staff were present at their assigned offices within the councils. 

A corps member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Local Government Inspectors (LGIs) across the state had instructed corps members to avoid the council premises. 

An official announcement signed by Osogbo LGI, Tawakat Jimoh, stated: “Due to the political crisis in all the local government secretariats in Osun State, the general CDS scheduled for Thursday in the Osogbo local government secretariat has been cancelled for security reasons. Stay safe.”

• Police: We’re on top of the situation

The bandits who abducted a former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig-Gen. Maharazu Tsiga (rtd) have reached out to his family, demanding N250 million as ransom, sources said yesterday.

Tsiga was abducted from his country home at Tsiga, Danja Local Government Area of Katsina State on Thursday.

Nine other residents of the village were abducted during the raid.

A family source who pleaded not to be named said the bandits called on the phone to make the ransom demand.

 The State Police Command said on Friday that it was on top of the situation and was working in collaboration with the relevant stakeholders and other security agencies in the state.

Read Also: Bandits abduct ex-NYSC D-G, Tsiga, others

The Police Public Relations Officer of the command, Abubakar Sadiq, said information about the bandits’ operation reached the Bakori Divisional Police Headquarters at about 0530 hours on the fateful day and security operatives were immediately deployed to the scene on rescue mission.

“Unfortunately, before the arrival of the operatives, the hoodlums had already accomplished their mission,” Sadiq said.

The House of Representatives member from the area, Abdullahi Balarabe Dabai, said the gunmen, after surrounding the general’s house, began to break doors; a situation that prompted the General to come out and ask them what they were looking for.

Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna and Kebbi states, all in the North West Zone, have been battling with the scourge of terrorism for several years now.

The bandits operate from camps in a huge forest straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states.

11 suspected bandits neutralized, 85 victims rescued in Jan –Katsina Police Command

The Police Command in Katsina State also confirmed that it neutralised 11 suspected bandits and rescued 85 kidnapped victims last month.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command, DSP Abubakar Aliyu, told reporters in Katsina that the command recovered 213 suspected rustled animals during the same period.

Forty five suspects were apprehended for major crimes, including four suspected kidnappers, six culpable homicide suspects, seven suspected armed robbers and three suspected informants to bandits.

Aliyu added that the other 32 suspects were apprehended in connection with other offences.

The crimes they allegedly committed, according to him, included armed robbery, culpable homicide, kidnapping and rape, among others.

The PPRO said the items recovered include four rounds of AK 47 live ammunition, three motorcycles, five vandalized street solar lights, two machetes and two sharp knives.

He added that other items include one digger and some quantity of vandalised armoured cables.

“Our achievements in the month are a testament to our tireless efforts in ensuring a safer Katsina State,” he said