by The Federal Government has approved an increase in the monthly allowance of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members to N77,000. This new allowance takes effect from July 2024.
The announcement was made in a statement by the NYSC’s Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, on Wednesday. The approval came through a letter from the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission, signed by its Chairman, Mr. Ekpo Nta, in line with the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act of 2024.
Previously, corps members were receiving N33,000 monthly, which was introduced in 2019 after the minimum wage was raised to N30,000. The new increase follows the signing of the Minimum Wage Bill into law by President Bola Tinubu on July 29, 2024, which set the new minimum wage at N70,000.
After the new wage law was passed, there were expectations that corps members’ allowances would also be adjusted. The NYSC management had emphasized that any increase in the allowance would be determined by the Federal Government.
In the statement, Embu mentioned that NYSC Director-General, Brigadier-General Yusha’u Ahmed, had visited the Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission to advocate for better welfare for corps members. Ahmed expressed gratitude to the government for the increase, noting that it would greatly benefit corps members and motivate them to serve the nation better.
The statement read: “The Federal Government has approved the increase of corps members’ monthly allowance to N77,000 with effect from July 2024. This is in line with the enactment of the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024.”
Ahmed thanked the government for the support, adding that the allowance hike would provide much-needed relief and encourage corps members to work harder during their service year.
