Abia State Governor Alex Otti, has approved the increase in the monthly allowance paid to members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in the state, raising the state allowance from the previous ₦4,000 to a minimum of ₦20,000.
The ₦50,000 in state stipends increase, aims to motivate corps members and strategically address the human capacity shortage in key sectors like education and healthcare.
The approval, announced today, Friday, November 7, represents a 400% increase on the basic state allowance to attract and retain skilled manpower to drive development in the State. The new stipends are structured as follows:
- Basic monthly allowance: Increased from ₦4,000 to ₦20,000
- Government establishment bonus: An additional ₦10,000 for corps members serving in state government establishments (totaling ₦30,000 from the state)
- CriticalCritical sector bonus: An extra ₦30,000 for Teaching and Medical corps members (totaling ₦50,000 from the state)
This state allowance is paid in addition to the Federal Government’s current monthly NYSC allowance of ₦77,000, meaning the most critical corps members could potentially earn up to ₦127,000 monthly.
According to a statement released by the Abia State government, the rationale behind the increase is to improve the welfare of young professionals and to fill pressing human capacity gaps.
The state government framed the allowance hike as part of a series of actions demonstrating its value for the contributions of corps members. These actions reportedly include infrastructure upgrades at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Bende LGA, which is technically a Federal Government-owned facility.
This hike sets a new benchmark for state-level support for the NYSC scheme across Nigeria. While many states pay little or no monthly allowance, and others often delay payments, Abia state provides immediate financial relief and a powerful incentive for young graduates.
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