NYSC members yet to receive promised ₦77,000 allowance

Corps members across Nigeria have expressed frustration after receiving their February stipend, which remained at ₦33,000 instead of the ₦77,000 they were expecting.  The delay contradicts earlier promises by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the federal government. In January, the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Yushau Ahmed, assured corps members that their allowance had been approved for an increase and that payments would reflect the adjustment once the 2025 budget was passed.  However, as February ended, the allowance remained unchanged, and no official statement has been issued to explain the delay. This situation has left corps members struggling to cope with the rising cost of living.  Many find it difficult to afford basic needs such as food, transportation, and housing due to the economic downturn.  With inflation worsening and prices of essential goods soaring, the ₦33,000 stipend is no longer sufficient to cover daily expenses. Some corps members have voiced their disappointment, accusing the government of failing to keep its promises.  Many expected the increment to take effect immediately after the announcement but are now left in uncertainty. The continued delay has further fueled concerns about the government’s commitment to addressing economic challenges affecting young Nigerians.  Corps members are now calling for urgent clarification and action to ensure they receive the promised allowance.

A Youth corps member dies, others injured while going to orientation camp

A corps member has died in a road crash while going to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp in Ebonyi. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Sector Commander in the state, Mr Henry Igwe, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki on Thursday. Igwe said that the crash occurred on Wednesday at about 2 p.m. on Amasiri-Okigwe Road, Amenu village in Okposi, Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state. “It involved two vehicles – a 14-seater Toyota commercial bus, grey colour and a commercial Mercedes Benz tipper. “From our preliminary findings, it might have been caused by speeding on the part of the commercial bus. “The identities and details of the number of those injured have yet to be ascertained because the victims were actually rescued by bystanders in the area,” he said. The sector commander said that the injured had been taken to David Umahi Federal Hospital in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area, adding that they were currently in stable condition.

FG pays Corps members N33,000 for October

The Federal Government of Nigeria has once again paid the previous monthly allowance of N33,000 to National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members for the month of October despite the recent announcement of a new N77,000 allowance. On the 25th of September, 2024, the federal government announced an increase in the monthly stipend for serving corps members from N33,000 to N77,000, effective from July 2024. The change was said to align with the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024 and was considered a significant boost to the welfare package for corps members. However, despite the official announcement, corps members were paid the old allowance of N33,000 for September. In the latest development, some corps members confirmed that the implementation of the new allowance has still not commenced, as they received N33,000 for October instead of the approved N77,000.

Forge Discharge Certificate go to jail, NYSC warns Nigerians

Forge Discharge Certificate go to jail, NYSC warns Nigerians

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has said forgers of its discharge or exemption certificates risk jail term, option of fine or both as penalties. The Director, Legal Services, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, said this on Monday in Abuja during the 2023 Legal Officers’ Capacity Building Training. The training has “The Role of the Legal Officer in the Defence of the Public Service in Nigeria” as its theme. According to Ibrahim, the NYSC Act contains all the infractions that people should know about. “The infractions are many, like forging the NYSC certificates. “Also, persons that are supposed to go for youth service as specified in the Act are not coming for youth service while those that are supposed to come for service will do but will not complete it and abscond. “Therefore, the Act itself has specified what is to be done in respect to these instances.” Ibrahim also said some attend the orientation camps with forged documents and when such persons are caught, they are arrested by the police for prosecution. He said that though such cases abound in court, the exact number could not be determined, adding that they were being followed up. “The punishment, first of all, is to arrest them, the police will now charge them to court and it is now left for the courts to decide if it is imprisonment or fine. “It is at the discretion of the court to say this is what we are going to do as the term of imprisonment. “If you are found guilty by the court, the court can give you two years jail term depending on the type of offence or three years or an option of fine or both jail term and fine.” Regarding Corps Producing Institutions’ (CPIs) involvement in such infractions, Ibrahim said that those caught in the NYSC engage in the ‘lifting of the veil of corporate personality’ of such institutions. According to him, if they submit names of unqualified corps members they are also guilty and are sent to court.He said the punishment to be meted to such institutions was also at the discretion of the court. He, however, said that such institutions are not delisted but are allowed to still send the names of their intending corps members for mobilization. He also said that it was worrisome that such infractions were coming up day by day. On the essence of the training, he said a lot of people were committing a lot of infractions against the NYSC Act. He said therefore, it deemed it necessary to ensure that members of the public know exactly what the Act contains and what they should and should not do. The Director-General, Brig.-Gen. Yusha’u Ahmed said that the enhancement of capacity building to stimulate efficiency and higher corporate performance was in line with one of the focal areas of his policy thrust to the scheme. Ahmed, represented by Ibrahim, said the training was organized to enhance the capacity and knowledge of legal officers in the scheme on their professional roles in the defence of the Public Service in Nigeria. He said that the training was expected to harness the potential of the legal officers in the scheme for improved professional services. “Over the past 50 years of existence of the scheme, our experience has shown that the decision by management to train and re-train staff of the scheme has proven to be very fruitful. “This is especially in the training of legal officers, judging from the laudable achievements recorded so far by the Legal Unit and the professional conduct of legal officers in the scheme. “The unit has kept faith with its mandate of rendering quality legal advice to the NYSC management and has shown due diligence in handling cases involving the scheme in different Courts of Law in Nigeria. “To further contribute to the achievements of the legal unit, this training is an ideal platform to evaluate the activities of the unit with a view to breaking new grounds towards strengthening the values of the scheme.” The training is expected to enhance their competence and practical performance/service delivery in the areas of legal drafting and litigation in both civil and criminal matters. Others are legal education involving corps legal activities and general legal advice.