Chief Uno Etim, chairman of Urue-Offong/Oruko Local Government Area, approved the N20,000 monthly stipend for each National Youth Service Corps member posted to the area. The payment, he confirmed, takes effect immediately, with no waiting period or phased rollout attached to it.
The announcement came Tuesday during a visit by the serving corps members to the council. Etim, who addressed the young Nigerians directly, told them the money was not a one-off gesture. He framed it as a standing commitment that his administration intends to honor for the duration of each batch’s service year in the council area.
“For the corps members serving here, we have approved a monthly stipend of N20,000 for each of the corps members, and the payment takes immediate effect,” Etim said at the gathering.
He told the corps members to think of the area as home during their year of service and assured them of full support to help them work effectively. Beyond the money, Etim said the council intends to address the physical conditions corps members live in, recognizing that suitable accommodation is essential to their ability to serve productively.
He promised that housing and welfare issues would be handled quickly and ordered the Works Department to check their accommodation and plan any repairs or upgrades needed. No timeline was given for when those inspections would be completed or when renovation work would begin.
“Expect necessary support, which will enable you to discharge your responsibilities effectively. For you to be posted here, consider this area your home for the duration of your service year,” Etim told the corps members at the session.
The chairman framed the N20,000 monthly payment as proof of his administration’s backing for young Nigerians sent to the area to offer their skills and energy toward development. He urged the corps members to stay committed to their duties throughout their service year and to engage meaningfully with the communities they are assigned to serve.
The Community Liaison Officer for the corps members, Ukachukwu Ifeanyi, spoke on their behalf at the event. Ifeanyi expressed appreciation to Etim for the welfare move and for the development work the council said it was doing across the local government area.
What the announcement does not address is how many corps members are currently posted to Urue-Offong/Oruko or what the total monthly cost of the stipend will be to the council’s budget. No figure for the number of beneficiaries was disclosed at the gathering on Tuesday.
Urue-Offong/Oruko is a local government area in Akwa Ibom State located in the southeast of Nigeria. It is one of the less prominent councils in the state and does not typically feature in welfare announcements of this kind, making Tuesday’s move a departure from the norm for the area.
The N20,000 figure mirrors a broader Akwa Ibom pattern. Akwa Ibom State governor Pastor Umo Eno had earlier approved N20,000 monthly stipends for all serving NYSC members of state origin across the country. Etim’s council-level approval now extends a comparable sum to corps members posted into Urue-Offong/Oruko regardless of their state of origin.
For corps members, the federal government’s monthly allowance currently stands at N77,000 following an upward review. The N20,000 from the Urue-Offong/Oruko council adds to that, though it remains local and applies only to members physically deployed within the council’s boundaries.
Etim said the safety and peaceful service of corps members remain priorities of his administration. He did not specify a dedicated budget line for the stipend or name the ministry responsible for disbursing the monthly payments to beneficiaries.
NYSC members posted to the local government area did not publicly disclose how many of them are currently on the ground or whether any previous administration in the council had offered similar support before Tuesday’s announcement.
