News: NYSC to Place Corps Members on Civil Service Salary Scale

ABUJA - The National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, is working with the National Salaries and Wages Commission, NSWC, to place corps members on a public service salary scale.

The Director-General of NYSC, Brig. Gen. Johnson Olawumi, who disclosed this in Abuja, noted that the move would stop frequent agitation for a review of corps members' allowances.

Olawumi said the series of attempts made by the scheme to secure adjustment in the allowances of corps members at the National Assembly did not yield the desired result.

He maintained that the current N19,800 monthly allowances for corps members was inadequate in view of current economic realities in the country, noting that they were working closely with the wages commission to concretise the proposal.

On the forthcoming governorship election in Osun State, Olawumi assured that the scheme would not compromise as alleged by some politicians.

He said allegations by politicians that the scheme had compromised its partnership with the electoral body were unfounded and should be taken as political tactics.

Olawumi said: "We have some political parties also alleging that all my staff in Osun State have compromised and agitating that I should remove them. You are bound to see things like this in elections.

"I want to state categorically that we do not just deploy these corps members for electoral duties, and as far as we are concerned, they are not the alpha and omega in elections; they are just playing a minute role.

"It is important to let you know that we do not just push them out. We conduct sensitization training for them and in the cause of that, give them manual.

"We let them know that they are all adults and should be ready to face the conse-quences of whatever action they decide to take."

Source: Vanguard