NYSC gives conditions for payment of allowances

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has made it mandatory for corps members to attend its Community Development programme popularly known as CDs.

This is to ensure that only corps members who attend the CDs would be able to access their allowances and become more serious in helping to develop their host communities.

Officials of the Lagos State NYSC confirmed that most corps members in the state feel nonchalant in joining other corps members to carry out community development projects.

To achieve a strict monitoring of the serving corps members, a biometric attendance of the CD programme has been deployed to capture their data through fingerprints with scanners.

Checks revealed that the reason for the biometric attendance is to ensure that no one signs the attendance register and card for another person during the CDs days knowing it would be impossible for someone to have another person’s fingerprints.

It also ensured that the total number of corps members that attend CD meetings on every CD days are captured and guaranteed that corps members become more dedicated in their service to the nation by helping to develop their host communities, among others.

The Oshodi-Isolo local government area in Lagos State amongs other local government areas in the state have adopted this new development, ensing that all corps members posted to the local government pass through this process of attendance.

An NYSC official at the Oshodi-Isolo local government area who spoke with The Guardian on the benefits of the new biometric attendance said: “It is a welcomed development which will help ensure that all corps members get their allowances as and when due as long as they pass through the due process. This also means that they would not get their allowances if they violate the process. It simply means that no monthly biometric clearance and weekly attendance of CDs, no monthly allowance for such corps members.”

Some of the corps members who were hosted by the Oshodi-Isolo council area aired their views on the development and complained bitterly about the new innovation, saying that it makes the whole process slow, especially the general CD meetings, which are usually attended by all corps members in different CD groups.