By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The Abia State governor, Alex Otti, has approved an increase in the monthly allowances for members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in the state from N4,000 to N20,000 while those teaching and medical personnel will get additional N30,000.
The approval was disclosed in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Njoku Ukoha, on Friday, November 7.
According to the statement, the new allowance structure provides a N20,000 base allowance for all corps members serving in Abia.
It stated that those deployed to state government establishments will receive an additional N10,000, while medical and teaching corps members will earn an extra N30,000 monthly.
The statement read, “In addition to the Federal Government’s increased monthly NYSC allowance of N77,000, all corps members serving in Abia State will now earn a base monthly allowance of N20,000, while those serving within state government establishments, and specifically teaching and medical personnel, will earn an additional discriminatory allowance of N10,000 and N30,000, respectively
“This is to motivate interested corps members, thereby bridging the human capacity gap created by decades of neglect and attrition in both sectors,” the statement read.
Ukoha stated that the increment is to complement the Federal Government’s new N77,000 monthly NYSC allowance and forms part of the governor’s broader policy to strengthen youth empowerment and public sector capacity in Abia State.
The statement added, “This marks the first major adjustment after 27 years, reflecting Governor Otti’s commitment to youth empowerment and workforce development in Abia.”
It further noted that Otti’s administration has consistently supported corps members by renovating the NYSC Orientation Camp in Bende Local Government Area, improving internal roads, installing power infrastructure, and upgrading camp facilities, despite the camp being a federal property.
“The governor believes that every institution or infrastructure within Abia, whether federal or state-owned, deserves attention because it is Abians who benefit the most,” Ukoha noted.
The governor’s aide also recalled that Otti’s government had recently implemented the Consolidated Health Salary Structure for health workers across the state and extended it to local government employees, aligning their pay with federal standards to boost morale and productivity in the health sector.
The statement added that about 35 per cent of the state’s budget is allocated to healthcare and education sectors, which the administration describes as “pillars of institutional capacity and human capital development.”
