By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has assured that corps members who recently completed the national service would be paid the arrears of the N77, 000 allowance.
Director-General of the NYSC, Brig Gen Olakunle Nafiu gave the assurance during the Batch A 2025 pre-mobilisation workshop for heads of corps producing institutions and other stakeholders in Abuja on Thursday.
The government commenced payment of the N77,000 allowance to corps members last month eight months after President Bola Tinubu signed the minimum wage bill into law.
Speaking with reporters during the event, the DG said: “The government is quite conscious of its promise and within the budgetary provision, the government is going to handle that. Once funds are released to us to offset the arrears we will pay them. Even our corps members that passed out recently will benefit. Once we receive cash backing for the arrears we are going to credit them; we have their bank details.
“Nigerians should not fret about that because the government is both responsible and responsive their their needs.”
The Director, Corps Mobilisation, Mohammed Abubakar, lamented that the scheme still face serious issues, particularly the fraudulent uploading of unqualified graduates by tertiary institutions.
He said: “We have made remarkable progress in recent years, greatly reducing challenges, thanks to innovative approaches and better collaboration. However, we still face serious issues, particularly concerning the fraudulent uploading of unqualified graduates, which we must address.
“As we prepare for another batch of NYSC mobilisation, we must confront the pressing issues affecting our corps members. This process is vital for our nation’s growth, but it is fraught with challenges, especially the ongoing problem of dishonest enrollments. We must therefore stay alert and be proactive.”
Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande said the scheme needs to be reformed in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration.
He said: “I remember when the scheme was created in 1973. It was for a purpose. Everything since then has changed. We must therefore reform the scheme to meet our changing society.
As Nigeria improves, we must continue to improve the scheme to meet demands. We must address the gaps of how the scheme will prepare our graduates for the job market. Let us reshape the process to meet the demands of the labour market.
“Reforming the NYSC mobilisation is not the job of the government alone. It is a collaborative effort. We can build an NYSC that is adaptive, inclusive and will serve our future generations.”
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike assured the NYSC of adequate support during the service year.
The minister, who was represented by the Mandate Secretary Youth and Sport, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Abdullahi Suleiman said the FCT administration would continue to partner with the scheme to meet its objectives.