A few National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) participants who are presently stationed in different states throughout the nation have made a request to Bola Tinubu for a rise in their monthly stipends.
Under the banner of Concerned Corps personnel, these personnel of the military brought attention to the difficulties they encounter as a result of the high cost of living.
They stressed that they have been forced to look for extra sources of income through menial occupations due to the rising costs of products and services in an open letter to Tinubu that PUNCH Online was able to get on Sunday.
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The corps members emphasised that, given the current state of the economy, the N33,000 monthly allowance is insufficient to cover their basic necessities.
In order to lessen their financial responsibilities and improve their ability to deal with the rising cost of living, they emphasised the urgent need for a revision of their allowances.
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.
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“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 demanded that the NYSC authorities take action to resolve the adverse working circumstances that certain corps members were subjected to at their principal sites of assignment.
Eddy Megwa, the director of press and public relations for NYSC, responded by acknowledging the issues brought up by the corps members. He gave them the assurance that their concerns would be looked into and emphasised that the federal government was determined to include corps members’ welfare in any programme it launched to lessen the difficulties the people faced.
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“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.
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