NYSC teachers in Nasarawa owed 10 months allowances

By Mohammed Yangida

Lafia

National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) 2017 Batch B teachers, who recently passed out with their counterparts in Stream 11, working for Nasarawa state government in the various schools, have raised alarm over non-payment of their state allowances for almost a year.
The corps members are alleging that the management of NYSC in the state collaborated with the state Ministry of Education to embezzle the allowances meant for them.
NYSC state coordinator, Mrs. Zainab Isah, however, refuted the allegation but admitted that the management was working hard to ensure that all those affected get their allowances from the state government as soon as possible.
She explained that it was not the duty of the NYSC to pay the allowances to corps members in their various places of primary assignment (PPA) “but we shall at all times continue to play the role of parents to every corps member.”
She said those affected were corps teachers under the ministry of education, saying a list of Batch B corps members was submitted by management in the state to education ministry for confirmation and onward submission to Finance Ministry but that the list was rejected.
“The Ministry of Education rejected the list claiming workers were on strike but after the strike action, the same ministry rejected the list again thereby leaving Batch B corps members in limbo,” the aggrieved members stated.
A corps member confirmed the allegation, saying that Batch B, especially those in Stream II had been relying solely on the allowances from the federal government to survive.
“Though promises have been made by the state government to pay, however, for the past 10 months, nothing has been paid to us despite,” a member who spoke to us anonymously said.
When contacted, the state Commissioner of Education, Alhaji Aliyu Tijani, who could not reveal the amount paid to corps members, said the state government had already paid the allowances of all the corps members whose names were officially submitted to the ministry, and that he knew nothing about the allegation against the ministry.
He, however, confirmed that the state NYSC coordinator forwarded some names of members who were to be paid their state arrears by the state government amounting to N98 million in arrears.

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