The current economic hardship initiated by the plummeting oil prices has been extended to corper members with state governments unable to pay their allowances.
Most state governments have suspended the monthly allowances being paid to members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) due to the economic crunch affecting the country. Saturday PUNCH learnt that some of the states stopped paying the allowances more than one year ago.
Before the economic downturn, most states of the federation were paying stipends to the NYSC members deployed in their areas of jurisdiction in order to augment the N19, 800 the Federal Government was giving to the corps members.
But as the reality of the economic downturn is biting harder, it was learnt that some states suspended payment of the stipends, thereby leaving the corps members to depend solely on the N19,800 the Federal Government is paying to them. This has forced the corps members to lament.
The situation is more pronounced in Kwara State, where the government has not paid corps members serving in the state for more than two years now.
The NYSC Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Oladipo Morakinyo, confirmed to one of our correspondents on Thursday in Ilorin that the corps members had not received a dime from the state government for many years.
He, however, claimed that the non-payment of the corps members’ allowances was not as a result of the state’s dwindling revenue. Corps members serving in Ondo State said they had waited endlessly for the government’s promise to pay them the allowances.
But as the reality of the economic downturn is biting harder, it was learnt that some states suspended payment of the stipends, thereby leaving the corps members to depend solely on the N19,800 the Federal Government is paying to them. This has forced the corps members to lament.
The situation is more pronounced in Kwara State, where the government has not paid corps members serving in the state for more than two years now.
The NYSC Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Oladipo Morakinyo, confirmed to one of our correspondents on Thursday in Ilorin that the corps members had not received a dime from the state government for many years.
He, however, claimed that the non-payment of the corps members’ allowances was not as a result of the state’s dwindling revenue. Corps members serving in Ondo State said they had waited endlessly for the government’s promise to pay them the allowances.
According to some of the corps members who are serving directly with the ministries and other government agencies, the state promised to pay them at the end of their service, but said this promise was unreliable because their predecessors were promised the same thing and got nothing after they finished the national assignment.
It was, however, gathered that some corps members serving at the local government secretariat were being paid between N3,000 and N5,000, but they were currently being owed three months allowances just as the government owes the civil servants.
It was, however, gathered that some corps members serving at the local government secretariat were being paid between N3,000 and N5,000, but they were currently being owed three months allowances just as the government owes the civil servants.
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