Members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) may soon have their allowances evaluated in light of the country’s present high cost of living.
Brig. Gen. Yusha’u Ahmed, Director General, announced this yesterday during an interactive session with the Martins Etim Esin-led House of Representatives committee on youth development.
The NYSC chief, on the other hand, stated that the raise would be contingent on the outcome of the Federal Government’s proposed review of workers’ salaries.
Ahmed also expressed hope that President Bola Tinubu would sign the NYSC Trust Fund Bill, which would reorient the scheme’s skill acquisition and business development program, which was set to begin in 2022.
He stated that corps members trained under the program in their areas of interest have the ability to become labor employers rather than waiting to be hired at the end of the service year.
The Director General also reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that participants are well fed during their stay at orientation camps, noting that proactive measures have been implemented to reduce reoccurring occurrences of member rejection at areas of primary assignment.
Regarding the fate of corps members kidnapped in Zamfara State, Ahmed stated that NYSC, in collaboration with security agencies and the Zamfara government, has made progress toward their release.
On safety measures put in place by the agency, he said:
“We have always given key advice to prospective corps members.
The issue of traveling at night…it’s there on paper.
We strictly advise them not to embark on night journeys. If they get anywhere by 6:00 p.m., they have to break the journey and pass the night in any military barracks or in our NYSC lodges spread across the country.”