The Federal Government has commenced the disbursement of N44,000 minimum wage arrears to former National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members across Nigeria.
The payment, which began this week, is directed at corps members who completed their service before the implementation of the new N77,000 monthly allowance earlier this year.
According to multiple confirmations from former corps members on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the arrears have started hitting beneficiaries’ accounts nationwide.
Background
The Federal Government approved the increase of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) monthly allowance from N33,000 to N77,000 on September 25, 2024, as communicated in a letter from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, signed by its Chairman, Mr. Ekpo Nta.
This decision of the increase in the NYSC allowance was part of a broader adjustment following the enactment of the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024, which raised the national minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000.
- Despite the approval, the actual payment of the increased allowance commenced in March 2025, marking a six-month delay from the initial approval.
- The delay in implementation was attributed to budgetary constraints and administrative processes. The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, explained that the necessary budgetary allocations were not in place at the time of the approval, which led to the postponement of the disbursement.
Furthermore, while the new allowance payments began in March 2025, the arrears owed to corps members for the period between July 2024 and February 2025 remained unsettled at that time. The government assured that these backlogs would be cleared soon.
What you should know
In the 2025 fiscal year, the Federal Government allocated N29.54 billion to the NYSC for the provision of kits, transportation, and feeding for corps members. This allocation is part of the miscellaneous expenditure for NYSC under the Federal Ministry of Youth Development. Other notable allocations include funds for honorarium, publicity, sporting activities, and improvement of camp facilities
The Federal Government unveiled plans to introduce specialized service arms within the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), specifically targeting the education and healthcare sectors. This is to enable deployment of corps members to underserved rural communities, addressing critical shortages in these essential services.
The federal government also proposed a reform committee tasked with overhauling the NYSC. The committee’s mandate includes reviewing existing policies, engaging stakeholders, and recommending reforms to modernize the scheme.
