NYSC DG Assures Ex-Corps Members of Minimum Wage Arrears Payment

The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has assured that former corps members who recently completed their service year will also benefit from the new ₦77,000 monthly allowance approved by the Federal Government.

Nafiu gave the assurance on Thursday during the Batch A 2025 Pre-Mobilisation Workshop held in Abuja for heads of corps-producing institutions and key stakeholders.

Last month, the Federal Government began the disbursement of the revised allowance to serving corps members, nearly eight months after President Bola Tinubu signed the new minimum wage into law.

Speaking to journalists at the event, Nafiu reaffirmed the government’s commitment to meeting its financial obligations to corps members.

"The government is fully conscious of its promises, and within the limits of the budgetary provisions, it will fulfill them," he said.  

"Once funds are released to us to clear the arrears, we will pay them — including those who have recently passed out. We have their bank details and will credit them once the cash backing is received. Nigerians should not worry; this government is both responsible and responsive."

Meanwhile, the Director of Corps Mobilisation, Mohammed Abubakar, raised concerns about the integrity of the mobilisation process, revealing that some tertiary institutions had uploaded names of unqualified individuals for national service.

“We’ve made significant progress in recent years, thanks to innovation and improved collaboration,” Abubakar said. “However, we continue to grapple with serious issues, particularly the fraudulent inclusion of unqualified graduates. This is a challenge we must tackle head-on.”

He urged all stakeholders to remain vigilant and proactive as preparations for the next mobilisation batch continue.

Also addressing participants at the workshop, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, called for comprehensive reforms in the NYSC scheme to align with the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“I remember when the scheme was created in 1973 — it served a clear purpose,” Olawande noted. “But times have changed, and so must the NYSC. We need to reform it to reflect the needs of our evolving society.”

He stressed the importance of tailoring the scheme to better prepare graduates for the job market, adding that reforming the NYSC should be a collective responsibility.

“Reshaping the mobilisation process is not the government’s duty alone. It requires a collaborative effort to build an NYSC that is inclusive, adaptive, and ready to serve future generations.”