NYSC: We are awaiting circular on minimum wage for corp members

Mohammed Momoh, the Lagos state coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), says the body is looking up to the federal government to release a circular for the implementation of the newly approved minimum wage with respect to corps members.

Momoh made this known while speaking to TheCable about the expected wage increase for corps members.

“The effective date of implementation would be stated on the circular and any corps member that falls within that said period and is qualified for the monthly allowance would benefit from the increase if and when the implementation starts,” he explained.

“Corps members are Nigerians and it is only expected that they would benefit from the increase. At the appropriate time, the federal government would fix the allowance for corps members. This would then be made public by the NYSC.

“I have no doubt that the federal government would do the needful in accordance with the minimum wage.”

There had been questions about whether corps members would be eligible for minimum wage.

According to the minimum wage act, it is the duty of every employer to pay every worker the national minimum wage and it defines workers as any member of the civil service of the federation or of a state or local government or any individual (other than persons occupying executive, administrative, technical or professional position in any such civil service) who has entered into or works under a contract with an employer

According to section 2, subsection 1 of the National Minimum Wage Act, the following establishments are exempted from paying minimum wage

• An establishment in which less than fifty workers are employed
• An establishment in which workers are employed on a part-time basis
• An establishment in which workers are paid on commission or on a piece-rate basis
• workers in seasonal employment such as agriculture

The 2011 amendment of the act excluded establishments with less than 25 workers.

Speaking during the 2019 Batch ‘A’ orientation exercise of corp members at the NYSC camp in Sagamu, Sule Kazuare, former NYSC director general, had said there would be an increase in accordance with the increment in national workers’ wage.

“We have a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Wages Commission that each time the salaries of public servants are increased, that of corps members too would take a very relative position,” Kazaure who was represented by Abdulrasheed Sanusi, acting director, corp welfare, said.