Corps members bemoan inflation effect on allowance

When the Federal Government increased the monthly allowance for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members from N19,800 to the minimum wage of N33,000, in January last year, corps members rejoiced.

However, after about 18 months into the implementation of the allowance, corps members are complaining that the allowance does not take them home.

This is no surprise given the downturn in the economy. According to the Central Bank of Nigeria, the inflation rate in Nigeria in August was 17.38 percent.

One Abuja-based corps member, simply called Matilda, said the prices of essential goods now cost more than what they were when corps members earned N19,800.

“With the situation of things in the country right now, the money is barely enough. Using myself as an example, I live in Abuja.  The cost of transportation for me every month is roughly N20,000 because from my house to my workplace is like N1,000 daily.

“If I should take that N2,000  from the allowance, I am left with only N15,000 and I cannot bank on using that for my feeding, and other miscellaneous expenses. So, it is not really enough. With the way things are going in the country, you will see people spending their allowance in under a week. That is to show you how bad things are,” she said.

Arinze Obiasor, who serves in Ndokwa West, Delta State, said he is barely able to keep to his budget when he goes shopping for essentials.

“It is true that the allowance they are paying us now is more than what corps members got three years ago. However, we fail to understand the condition of the country. Everything is very costly. So we are not the people enjoying government money.

“If you enter the market with N10,000 to buy something, you will notice that everything has increased. You will find out that it is not everything you budgeted that will be able to cover with that N10,000. You will skip many things because of their prices. The prices are just too high,” he said.

Arinze added that corps members serving in the hinterland bear the brunt of the inflation more as they have to spend more on transportation to travel to the city to purchase what they cannot get in the villages. He said the inflation had put paid to his efforts to save some money during his national service.

He said: “The allowance they are paying us now is not enough because some of us are sent to serve in villages. Some of these villages do not have light, better said, a good standard of living. So you have to spend enough to eat. Even when you want to buy something, you have to board a bike or cab to their city in order to do so. Even if you get to the city, the price of things will be high. With all these expenses, you know that the allowance is not enough. When you spend much on all these things your allowance starts going down.

“Before I entered the camp, I told myself I must save. But to be sincere, from that time till now, I have not saved a kobo. I am angry about the amount they are paying us. People are saying that it is very big but to me, it is not because within two weeks or a week, you have spent almost N15,000 buying foodstuffs and toiletries. Once you are a corps member, you are not expected to depend on your parents, instead, they depend on you. Sometimes, we the corpers send some money to our parents. Some families depend on their children serving for some things.”

Uruaka Harrison Enamewolow, serving in Abia State said corps members now need as much as N1,500 to eat daily – which comes to N45,000 monthly – N12,000 more than the current allowance.

“Why is the allowance not enough? It is because the price of things has moved up and the N33,000 can no longer sustain corpers for that one month.

“Before now, a corps member could comfortably spend N5,000 to N10,000 for food in the month.  But now N5,000 will not even last one week. The least amount of money one can use to feed a day in Nigeria now is N1,500. And that into 30 places is N45,000. To even go to the market scares me,” he said.

Another Abuja-based corps member, Chiazor Amadi said corps members are not as wealthy as people think.

“Of course, it is not sufficient because the country’s economy has gone bad. So everything is like twice the price in the market now. I am serving in FCT and the standard of living here is too high. By the time one has paid bills and bought foodstuff, money has gone drastically down.  In fact, it finishes before it even comes. So, no, it is not enough.  Corps members are suffering and it is sad that people actually think we have money,” she said.

Love Muokonye, who serves in Ondo State, lamented the high cost of living.  She said she paid as much as N120,000 for rent despite not earning anything apart from her NYSC allowance.

“Truth must be told, it is not enough at all. Sometimes, where you find yourself matters. Where I find myself is freaking expensive. First of all, I have to rent a place which costs N120, 000 even though I am not being paid where I am serving. Foodstuff is particularly expensive especially with the rise of the dollar.

“People say we are government children; people expect us to have money. Even when you tell people that you don’t have money, they will be like, ‘you wey be government pikin’. With the way Nigeria is going; with the increment in foodstuffs prices, house rent, transportation everything, it (allowance) is not enough at all. I am even sure if it is made N40,000, it will still not be enough. I do not think they can give us anything that will ever be enough especially at the rate Nigeria is going. Even N100,000 will never be enough. Everything in Nigeria has gone overboard,” she said.

Oyekanmi Charles Olarinde, who serves in Bayelsa State, lamented that prices of essentials, like gas, change monthly.

“Day by day, prices are added to the things in the market. Every month, since I have been in Bayelsa, something must be added to the price of gas. If I go to the market to get foodstuffs, prices are added to things. So, if you consider the money we are getting and relate it to expenses we are making, the allowance is far from being enough for us. If something can still be added, I will be happy because with the state of the Nigerian economy now, and the prices of things rising, the allowance is not enough,” he said.