The Nigerian government has started disbursing the newly approved ₦77,000 monthly allowance for members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), putting an end to months of uncertainty and frustration.
Reports indicate that several corps members have received credit alerts reflecting the increased stipend, signaling the resolution of the prolonged delay.
According to Naija News, this development follows recent assurances by the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, who had promised during an interview on Channels TV that the payment backlog would be cleared by the end of March.
The disbursement had been stalled for months due to budgetary constraints and bureaucratic processes. Addressing the delay, Olawande explained that the allowance had not been included in the initial budget when President Bola Tinubu announced its approval. He emphasized that before payments could begin, agencies and parastatals had to ensure the necessary budgetary allocations were in place.
“Approval alone is not enough; you must have a budgetary allocation for it. Now that the process is complete, the payments can begin,” Olawande stated.
Despite his assurances, many corps members had remained skeptical, as previous government promises had not been fulfilled on time. A major concern was whether outgoing corps members, who had served under the old stipend, would receive the new allowance.
Responding to this, Olawande reassured corps members that those affected would be paid. Referring to a statement by the NYSC Director-General, he confirmed that the government had the account details of all corps members and that the payments would be processed accordingly. He reiterated that by the end of March, the disbursement of all outstanding allowances would be completed.
