For many Nigerian graduates, the end of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year brings a mixture of pride, anxiety, and uncertainty. But for thousands who served during the turbulent period before the official increase in the corps allowance from ₦33,000 to ₦77,000, the feeling that they had been left behind lingered long after they hung up their khakis.
That sentiment began to change when the Federal Government initiated the long awaited payment of NYSC arrears. The development came nearly a year after the upward review of the minimum wage and subsequent adjustment of corps members’ monthly stipends. Many ex corps members who served in 2023 and early 2024, particularly those in Batch A and B, were excluded from the increment at the time of their service despite having served during the transitional phase.
Now, with the disbursement of ₦44,000 per person, the government is attempting to correct that oversight. In Keffi, a university town known for its youthful energy and concentration of graduates, the reactions have been powerful and deeply personal.
The payment of arrears may appear routine on the surface, but for many, it is nothing short of validation.
Ayikpo Stella, who served in Jos and now resides in the city where she runs a small bakery, described her surprise when she received the payment. “It felt like a refund from the universe. I had stopped expecting anything, especially as months passed without any communication. But when the alert came in, I was overwhelmed. It may not be much, but it shows that we mattered,” she said. Stella said she intends to reinvest part of the money into her growing baking business. “This will help me upgrade my oven and buy more ingredients. It’s not just money, it’s a silent encouragement,” she added.
In Keffi, where news of the payments spread quickly through word of mouth and social media, Samuel Pyenan, an ex-corpsmember who is currently job hunting, expressed mixed feelings. “I served faithfully in Keffi and completed every assignment given to me. Since I passed out, it’s been a struggle finding work. When I received the alert, I was happy, of course. But part of me wondered why it took so long for the government to act,” she said. For Samuel the payment was timely but also a reminder of the uncertainty that young Nigerians face after national service. “The money will help with transport and data subscriptions for job applications, but we need more. We need structures that support us beyond this one year of service,” she said.
While the NYSC management has acknowledged the rollout of the arrears payment and indicated that more batches will follow, it has not provided a detailed roadmap or publicly accessible list of beneficiaries. The lack of communication has continued to breed confusion.
Education policy experts have described the government’s action as commendable but incomplete. There are growing calls for the digitization of payment systems, the establishment of reliable channels for tracking entitlements, and more transparent guidelines for post service benefits.
Analysts also insist that long term reforms must accompany these gestures to restore confidence in the scheme. Suggestions include post service transitional support, entrepreneurship funding, and mental health programs for ex corps members.
As more payments are expected to roll out in the coming weeks, the mood in cities like Keffi and Jos remains cautiously optimistic. For now, the focus is on those quiet moments, the buzz of a credit alert, the stunned glance at a bank app, the brief pause before joy breaks through. For many former corps members, this gesture, however delayed, offers a small but meaningful reminder that their service was not in vain.
