The National Youth Service Corps has attributed the delay in paying corps members the new N77,000 minimum wage to a lack of “cash backing.”
NYSC spokesperson, Caroline Embu, confirmed this on Monday in response to an inquiry made by The PUNCH.
“The cash backing is still being awaited,” she stated in a brief response.
Her comment comes amid mounting pressure from the National Association of Nigerian Students, which on Monday expressed frustration over the delayed payment.
In a statement signed by its National Vice President for Inter-Campus Affairs, Sileola Akinbodunse, NANS criticised the NYSC for failing to implement the revised wage months after the Federal Government’s approval in July 2024.
According to Akinbodunse, corps members received only N33,000 for their February allowance last Friday, contrary to the N70,000 promised by the NYSC Director-General.
She noted that while the Federal Government and several state governments have commenced payment of the new minimum wage, the NYSC has yet to follow suit, offering no justification for the delay.
“This is a gross injustice,” Akinbodunse stated, arguing that corps members should not still be receiving the old allowance when government workers are already benefitting from the increase.
NANS, therefore, called for a probe into the NYSC’s handling of the wage adjustment, urging the Federal Government to investigate the cause of the delay.
Akinbodunse further warned that withholding the approved allowance could dampen the morale of corps members, particularly given the harsh economic realities in the country.
She said, “The leadership of the student body would equally interface with the NYSC to find out why corps members are yet to benefit from the new minimum wage of N77,000, even when staff of the NYSC are receiving the increase in pay from the Federal Government.”
