Yes, the government have started paying NYSC members ₦77,000 monthly allowance. But it’s clearly not enough. Nigeria’s youth deserve financial education that can empower them to build income streams and overcome our entrenched dependency on governmental crumbs. Here’s how to get one.
On 27 March 2025, some corps members finally received the long-awaited ₦77,000 monthly allowance, up from the previous ₦33,000. This massive 133% increase sparked celebrations. The Internet was flooded with screenshots of alerts and clips of corps members dancing in celebration.
Two corps members quickly went viral after being filmed carrying live chickens and tubers of yam they had bought with their 77K. In a video that has now been taken down, another filmed herself eating fried rice with her new allowance.
For some, however, intermixed with celebrations was the feeling of severe frustration. Some quickly realized that even with the raise, the allowance barely scratches the surface of their survival needs in a hyperinflated economy.
The Long Walk to 77K
The journey to the ₦77,000 allowance bore all the usual signs of the unreliability of the federal government. Approved in September 2024 under the National Minimum Wage Act, the increment was meant to take effect retroactively from July 2024. Yet, by February 2025, corps members were still receiving ₦33,000, with officials blaming “budgetary constraints”.
Even when payments began in March 2025, the process was haphazard: only 2024 Batch A Stream 2 members—those already completing their service—received the allowance first. Others were left waiting, with the NYSC vaguely promising phased payments by month-end.
₦33,000 in 2020 Had More Value Than ₦77,000 In 2025
In 2020, ₦33,000 at the official rate of ₦360/$1 was equivalent to $91.67
In 2025, ₦77,000 at the current rate of ₦1,500/$1 is equivalent to $51.33
Adjusted for inflation, the “increase” is actually a 44% pay cut in real value. In 2020, $91 could cover basic needs; today, $51 barely covers transportation and rent alone. This makes the adjustment nothing short of a rip-off, completely undermined by naira devaluation and rampant inflation. Evidently, corps members are effectively earning way less while being told they’re receiving more.
But they obviously don’t know.
77K Isn’t Worth Celebrating
The jubilation over ₦77,000 reveals a Stockholm syndrome that infests our relationship with the government. The more they abuse us, the deeper our attachment to them. Stella Abiodun, a corps member, noted: “This isn’t worth celebrating… but it proves they’re listening”.
But why should a government listening to its youths be an achievement? Why are our youths celebrating table scraps from a government that owes them dignity? The answer lies in conditioning. From NYSC to N-Power, Nigerian youths are groomed to seek survival through government handouts.
Liberate Yourself!
Young Nigerians deserve more than survival wages. They deserve policies that prioritize economic fairness over political trickery and public institutions that nurture innovation, not servitude. In the mean time, financial literacy remains the ultimate act of defiance to liberate oneself from dependency.
Financial education allows us shift the narrative from “What can the government do?” to “What can I create?” The solution isn’t higher allowances but financial literacy. Instead of applauding ₦77,000, corps members could earn in dollars or build sustainable income streams.
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SimplVest offers a course Monthly2K that can help corps members answer this question. Get started here:
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The Naira Won’t Go Below 1,500 to the Dollar Anytime Soon: For those making plans to japa, do not bet on the exchange dropping below ₦1,500 to the dollar. The government has already fixed the dollar rate at ₦1,500 for the foreseeable future.
