After months of anticipation and mounting frustration, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has commenced the payment of arrears amounting to ₦44,000 to both serving and recently discharged corps members.
The arrears reflect the gap between the previous ₦33,000 monthly allowance and the newly approved ₦77,000, which began implementation in March 2025.
The Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, confirmed the development on Monday, stating that the payments are being processed in batches across the country.
“This is part of the Federal Government’s effort to implement the national minimum wage adjustments. We are committed to ensuring all entitled corps members, including those who recently passed out, receive their full dues,” Brig. Gen. Nafiu said while speaking during the Batch A 2025 Pre-Mobilisation Workshop held in Abuja.
The move is in fulfillment of the promise made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in September 2024, when he approved the upward review of corps members’ monthly stipends in line with the new ₦70,000 minimum wage, plus a 10% increment, which brings the NYSC allowance to ₦77,000.
“This is a game-changer for us,” said Adebola Yusuf, a corps member currently serving in Osun State.
“We’ve waited so long, and honestly, I had doubts. Seeing the arrears finally drop in my account feels like someone took a heavy load off my chest.”
The ₦44,000 arrears represent the cumulative difference over several months—from July 2024 to February 2025—when the new rate was approved but not yet implemented.
During this period, corps members continued receiving the previous ₦33,000 stipend, sparking discontent both online and at NYSC events.
“At our passing-out parade in Kano, many of us expressed how betrayed we felt,” said Isma’il Isah, a 2024 Batch A Stream 2 corps member.
“We were told ₦77,000 was approved, but we kept receiving ₦33,000. Now that we’re getting what’s owed, I feel like maybe the system hasn’t forgotten us after all.”
Meanwhile, Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, attributed the initial delay in payments to administrative and budgetary processes. He reassured corps members that the government remained committed to its promise.
“It was a matter of procedure,” Olawande said on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“The approvals are in place, and the payments are happening. Current corps members and those who have recently concluded their service are all covered.”
Corps members nationwide have taken to social media to celebrate the payments, with many describing it as a “hope-restoring moment” and a sign that their service is finally being recognized.
“It’s not just about the money,” said Chinonye Eze, serving in Delta State.
“It’s about respect and appreciation. I can now plan ahead, settle some bills, and send money home.”
The NYSC DG added that bank details of ex-corps members who recently completed service have been captured and would be used to ensure no one is left out of the arrears disbursement.
