The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is projected to allocate approximately N307.6bn for the mobilisation and payment of allowances to corps members.

This estimate follows the recent increase in corps members’ stipends from N33,000 to N77,000, as announced by the NYSC in September 2024. The adjustment was made in response to the signing of the new minimum wage bill into law in May 2024.

Each year, the NYSC conducts three batches of mobilisation — A, B, and C across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. On average, between 1,200 and 1,500 corps members participate in orientation exercises per camp, leading to an estimated 55,500 corps members per batch and a total of about 333,000 mobilised annually.

With each corps member set to receive N77,000, the total cost per batch amounts to N25.64bn, accumulating to N307.6bn for the entire year.

In the 2025 budget proposal submitted to the National Assembly in December 2024, the Federal Government allocated N430.7bn to the NYSC, the highest in recent years. Of this amount, N372.9bn, roughly 86.5% was designated for corps members’ allowances.

However, five months after the announcement, the new allowance structure has yet to be implemented. Following the failure to process payments in February, the NYSC explained that it was still awaiting the required cash backing.

The newly appointed Director-General of the Scheme, Brig. Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, reportedly assured that payments would begin in March, but further confirmation from NYSC officials was not immediately available.