Despite assurances by the NYSC to boost corps members’ monthly allowance to N77,000 from February 2025, the Tinubu administration continues to dispense the outdated N33,000 stipend, according to SaharaReporters. Several corps members confirmed that when they received their February payments on Friday night, the amount remained unchanged—well under half of the promised figure.
This outcome starkly contradicts the January declarations by NYSC Director-General Brigadier General Yushau Ahmed, who had affirmed that the increment was already approved and was merely awaiting the passage of the 2025 budget. However, as February passed, the promised increase failed to materialize.
The government has yet to offer an official explanation, leaving corps members frustrated amid an escalating economic crisis. With soaring inflation and the cost of living spiraling upward, the meager N33,000 stipend is insufficient to cover basic necessities such as food, transportation, and accommodation.
In Oyo, one corps member lamented, “How do they expect us to survive on ₦33,000 when everything is expensive? They promised ₦77,000 this month, and now they’ve failed us again.” A fellow corps member in Kano echoed similar sentiments, viewing the delay as another glaring example of the government’s indifference to the struggles of young Nigerians.
This unkept promise has only deepened the erosion of trust in the Tinubu-led administration, which is already widely criticized for economic policies that have exacerbated inflation, unemployment, and poverty across the nation.
