Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno has approved the payment of N202.6 million to offset monthly allowances of various batches of serving and outgone corps members in the state.
The Desk Officer of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the state, Mr Christopher Godwin-Akaba, gave the hint in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri on Saturday.
Godwin-Akaba said that corps members received a monthly stipend of N10,000 each, while the medical corps doctors and paramedics received N100,000 and N50,000 respectively.
He said that N75.4 million was released by the governor within the last one year to pay allowances of 454 medical doctors and paramedics’ corps members serving in the state.
“N127.2 million was equally released to offset allowances of other categories of corps members, numbering 3,133 in the state,’’ he said.
The desk officer said that the provision of good welfare packages to the serving corps members in the state was part of the state government’s drive in motivating them to contribute their quotas to the development of the state.
He said that the government had provided befitting and secured accommodation to all categories of the corps member as incentives by the state government.
He explained that due to challenges occasioned by the insecurity in parts of the state, no corps member was posted to serve in volatile areas.
According to him, the government has been collaborating with security agencies with a view to ensuring the safety, the security of lives and properties of corps members.
Godwin-Akaba said that arrangement has reached advanced stage to resume orientation exercise at the new orientation camp with state of the art facilities by the state government in Maiduguri.
“This came in line with Gov. Zulum’s request when the Director-General of the scheme, Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim paid him a visit in 2019.
“The camp has been completed and we are ready for the take-off of the exercise if necessary security clearance is received,’’ he said.
Also speaking to NAN, the State Coordinator of the NYSC, Mr Nura Umar, commended Gov. Zulum for offsetting the outstanding allowances of corps members serving in the state.
Umar said that the governor is giving priority attention to the safety and welfare of the corps members by providing befitting accommodation to them.
The coordinator told NAN that the corps members, serving in the state, would not relent in contributing to the socio-economic development of the state, most especially, in the areas of healthcare delivery, education and wellbeing of persons affected by the insurgency.
