You’ve just completed your degree, thrown your cap in the air, and are now officially a fresh Nigerian graduate.
Well, what can we say? Congratulations to you. We are indeed happy for you. No, on a second thought, we pity you.
The next step? NYSC! You hear about the famed allowance that was promised by the Federal Government — a nice sum that’ll make you feel like you’re living the high life.
But then, reality hits. You check your account, and what you see isn’t exactly what you expected.
That is the situation many corp members have found themselves now.
The ‘generous’ government allowance is more like a cruel joke, a slap on the back with a ‘don’t worry, you’ll get the rest later’ — but will you, though?
Let’s break down how the Federal Government might just be playing corpers like pawns in a game of budgetary chess. Spoiler alert: It’s not the ‘generous support’ they promised.
The Promise
On Sunday, March 2, members of the National Youth Service Corps expressed their disapproval of the Federal Government’s persistent failure to implement the payment of the ₦77,000 allowance.
Make no mistake, the Federal Government had approved an increase in the corps members’ monthly allowance from ₦33,000 to ₦77,000, effective July 2024.
You needed to see the way corp members danced in jubilation. They were about living the dream, and trust us, nothing meant more.
Also Read: NYSC Allowance Delay: 5 Negative Impacts on Corp Members
In fact, those who experienced delays in their postings, or intentionally delayed it, found sudden determination to serve their country.
These people even found more ginger when, in the same year, the Director-General of the NYSC, Brig. Gen. Yushau Ahmed announced that corps members would start receiving the ₦77,000 in February 2025.
But guess what? It was not until the end of February, when the corper received their allowance, that it became clear that they had only fallen for a mirage.
The Allowance
Despite the official announcement, findings the NYSC has yet to commence payment of the ₦77,000.
Many corps members also confirmed that they received only ₦33,000 for their February allowance on Friday.
A corps member serving in Abia State accused the Federal Government of insincerity regarding the payment of the ₦77,000 allowance.
It is still unclear why the government decided to lie to these youths, or failed to keep to their promise as no explanations have been provided.
Or can we say that the government is owing corpers gbese?
Well, while we wait for explanations, corp members in Nigeria are not happy.
