As the high cost of living and inflation continue to rise in the country, members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who are currently serving in the program have urged the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu, to consider increasing the allowances of N33,000 Naira currently being paid to corp members serving in all the 36 states of the country.
You will recall that Nigeria’s inflation rate increased to 29.90 percent, leading to inflationary trends and affecting every aspect of the economy from transportation fees to feeding. This made Mr Joe Ajaero, Nigeria Labour Congress’s President, during the 2nd National Labour Adjudication and Arbitration Forum, organized by the National Employers Consultative Association (NECA) in Abuja, ask the Federal Government to consider an annual review of the national minimum wage.
Concerned Corp Members have stressed that it is unfair to leave NYSC members out when federal fund increments are considered. The constant increase in prices of goods and foodstuffs is frustrating young Nigerians serving their father’s land.
These are some of the commodities heavily affecting Corp Members and how far they have skyrocketed just in 2024 alone:
- Food & Beverages (52%)
- Communications (4%)
- Housing and Water (17%)
- Clothing & Footwear (8%)
- Health (3%)
- Transports (7%)
- Furnishings Equipment and Maintenance (5%)
- Gas (17%)
- Education (4%)
- Recreation & Culture (9%)
- Electricity (17%)
This is just as they lamented that the high cost of commodities occasioned by the high cost of living has forced them to resort to menial jobs to make ends meet. The funny aspect of everything is that the pain of inflation is not equally distributed among states in Nigeria. The first ten states with the highest inflation in the country are as follows:
- Kogi (35.78%)
- Oyo (34.58%)
- Akwa Ibom (33.16%)
- Abia (33%)
- Rivers (32.74%)
- Bauchi (32.37%)
- Ebonyi (32.36%)
- Ondo (32.33%)
- Osun (32.31%)
- Lagos (31.85%)
Corp Members in the Akwa State NYSC Orientation Camp lamented on social media that they are being poorly fed, while Corpers already serving, noted that they now resort to menial jobs and side hustles due to the high cost of commodities and the rising cost of living across the country.
Corp Members therefore made it clear that the N33,000 allowance Corper received monthly is not sustainable with the recent economic realities which necessitated their demand for a wage review to alleviate their sufferings.