By Donald Iorchir
National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members serving in Kuje Area Council yesterday embarked on a protest over the inability of the Council to pay their six months’ allowances owed them.
Blueprint reports that corps members numbering about 60 barricaded the entrance to Kuje Area Council Secretariat carrying placards with inscriptions such as: Pay Us Our Six Months’ Allowances, “We Are Hungry and Starving.”
The Corps Liaison officer (CLO), who was also amongst the protesters, Miss Edna Akpan, said that the protest was aimed at expressing their dismay for the six months’ allowances, owed them by the Council.
She said they had earlier written to the Kuje Area Council authorities demanding for their allowances to be paid but was taken with little interest.
Akpan said: “We have not been paid for over six months and we don’t have good mattresses at the Coppers lodge; we are starving in this place.
“Other corps members that served in this Area Council were not owed; it’s surprising that we are witnessing such during our time. The reason we embarked on this peaceful demonstration is to show our grievances over the matter.”
Chairman of Kuje Area Council, Hon. Shaban Tete, told our correspondent that the Council Administration along with the NYSC coordinator would go into a roundtable discussion to resolve the issue.
Tete said the inability to pay the corps member was due to the reduction of the allocation to the Area Councils.
He said: “The councillors have not been paid their impress and some allowances for over eight month’s because we have a short-fall on our allocation.
“Even in my office we are entitled for some allowances but they are no longer available because we no longer get security vote in the Area Councils.”