By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja.
Credit: Nairametrics.
Many National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Lokoja, Kogi State, north central Nigeria, have shunned wearing their uniforms to markets and other commercial outlets in the area to escape exploitation by shylock traders.
A corps member, Gabriel Gamaliel, who spoke to our correspondent in Lokoja on Sunday, attributed the development to the misconceptions held by market vendors about corps members.
“Many sellers in Lokoja markets and other commercial outlets mistakenly believe that corps members have started receiving the N77,000 allowance promised by the federal government.
“Some food items that normally cost N1,000 are being sold to corps members for N1,500 or even N2,000, despite being the same quality.
“When we ask why corps members are charged higher prices than other customers, they claim it’s because the federal government has increased our allowance from N33,000 to N77,000, but this is not true,”.
“As a result, many corps members have opted to avoid such exploitation by shopping in mufti instead of their uniforms,” he said.
George, therefore, called on the federal government to expedite the implementation of the new allowance to protect corps members from the exploitative behavior of these traders.
He emphasized that many corps members have no relatives in Kogi State to turn to for financial support at their primary place of assignment, noting that the current N33,000 allowance is grossly insufficient to cover their living expenses as economic hardships intensify.
Our correspondent recalls that the federal government announced a new allowance of N77,000 for corps members, alongside a N70,000 new national minimum wage for public service employees across Nigeria towards the end of 2024.
