Economic Hardship: Corps Members Demand Rise in NYSC Allowance

Some serving members of the National Youth Service Corps have urged President Bola Tinubu to consider an upward review of the allowances being paid to corp members serving in the 36 states of the federation.

This is just as they lamented that the high cost of commodities occasioned by the high cost of living had forced them to resort to menial jobs to make ends meet.

The corpers, in an open letter under the aegis of Concerned Corps Members, addressed to the President and obtained by PUNCH Online on Sunday, noted that the high cost of commodities and the rising cost of living had forced them to resort to menial jobs as a means of survival.

They lamented that the N33,000 allowance that each corper received at the end of the month was not sustaining with the recent economic realities which they said had necessitated their demand for a wage review to alleviate their sufferings.

The letter read in part, “We would like to respectfully advocate for the inclusion of NYSC corp members in the recent wage increment initiatives. As young graduates who have committed to a year of service to our great nation under the sun and in the rain, with dedication and selflessness, we play a crucial role in various sectors, contributing to national development, community building, and the implementation of government programmes at the grassroots level.

“The skyrocketing prices of goods and services in the local markets only exacerbate our frustrations. Some necessities have become unaffordable luxuries, pushing many corps members to the brink of despair.
It is a widely known fact that the economic situation of the country needs more coping skills, because of this many of us find ourselves serving in challenging environments with higher costs of living.

“As a result of this, many of us resort to fetching and drinking water from streams and even going to farms to render services in exchange for food. These activities endanger our lives and expose us to unfavourable conditions that will harm us sooner or later.”

They urged the NYSC authority to also look into the unfavourable work conditions that some corpers were subjected to at their places of primary assignment.

When contacted for a reaction, the NYSC Director of Press and Public Relations, Eddy Megwa, noted that the concerns of the corps members would be looked into while stating that there was assurance that the Federal Government would consider corpers in its action plans aimed at alleviating the suffering of the masses.

“Inflation is all over the country and everyone is affected. The NYSC is part of the government and the government understands that the NYSC is there. We want to believe, just as the DG told pressmen in Lagos when he visited the Lagos camp, that this government is a youth-friendly government and whatever will be done to civil servants, corpers would also receive a pat on the back.

“It is not the duty of the NYSC to increase the allowance of corps members, it is the duty of the FG. Bearing in mind that this government is a youth-friendly government, it would surely do something concerning the allowances of corps members when the wages of civil servants are reviewed,” Megwa disclosed.