National
NYSC members to receive N77,000 allowance soon – DG
The Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Yush’au Ahmed, has assured NYSC members that their increased allowance will soon be effected.
Ahmed gave the assurance on Tuesday in Abuja while speaking with newsmen on the sidelines of the inauguration of a bus donated to the scheme by Capital Express Insurance Ltd.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls the Federal Government had in September 2024 approved the increment of NYSC members’ monthly allowance from N33,000 to N77,000, effective July 2024.
However, the payment has yet to be implemented, causing concern to corps members.
The DG, reiterating the scheme’s commitment to corps members’ welfare, gave an assurance that all arrangements to effect the payment had been put in place.
“The first item on my policy thrust is the security and welfare of all corps members.
“Yes, they have not yet started receiving the increase in their allowance, but I tell you, all arrangements have already been concluded.
“Hopefully, very soon, they will see it. I don’t just want to mention when, because I believe we are almost there.
“Corps members will laugh very soon, that I assure you,” he said.
He added that the scheme had always been responsive to staff needs, taking their welfare and security very seriously.
Ahmed said the donated bus was in response to a request to increase the number of welfare buses for staff and corps members’ use.
He said the bus, to a large extent, would assist in taking staff and corps members serving in the headquarters from their homes to the office.
He commended Capital Express Insurance Ltd. for the donation and assured the proper use of the bus.
The Chief Executive Officer of the insurance company, Mr Mathew Ogwezhi, said the donation was one of the company’s ways of supporting the scheme.
Ogwezhi said, “This will not be the first thing we are doing for the NYSC and we intend to do more.
“We built a block in the Skill and Acquisition Centre, we supported their training and supported NYSC sports.
“Even at various camps, we engage in one activity or the other to support the corps members, and this is part of our support to improve the movement of corps members and staff of the scheme in Abuja metropolis.”
Ogwezhi said one of the company’s core objectives was to partner with organisations it has business or mutually beneficial relationships with. (NAN)
Daniel Bwala, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on policy communication, says former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar should accept that presidency may not be his destiny.
Bwala spoke on Monday during an interview on TVC, where he addressed issues surrounding political succession and the future of opposition politics in the country.
He asked Abubakar to embrace reality and collaborate with President Tinubu in building the country.
“If I have the opportunity to meet him face to face, what I will tell him is just this: ‘Your Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, you have to believe in destiny,’” Bwala said.
“God gives power to whomsoever He chooses. And it seems from the facts on the ground that it may not have been the will of God for you to govern Nigeria.”
He advised the former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to align himself with Tinubu’s administration to leave a lasting legacy, “even if it is realised through another person”.
“There are many other ways you can contribute. Since you have been a friend to President Bola Tinubu for many years, come together and bring your contribution towards the Nigeria that both of you wanted to create for the Nigerian people,” he said.
“Your legacy will be that in your political dying days, you will be able to achieve some of your dreams, albeit through your friend.
“But if he insists that he wants to run and he wants to become the president, as we have already seen it playing out, his political ending might not be as palatable as he’s thinking.
“Right now, from his political family, he has lost substantial people, probably 60 to 70 percent.”
Bwala added that younger politicians who once followed Abubakar are now determined to seek power in their own right and have shown no signs of retreating.
The presidential aide’s remarks come amid a gale of defections from opposition parties to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
There are speculations that some governors of the opposition parties may soon join the APC.
In March, Abubakar said he was unsure about contesting the 2027 presidency, adding that there must be a viable platform.
The Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) says it will no longer accept cash payments at its post office counters nationwide from July 1, as part of new reforms aimed at modernising the agency.
In a statement on Monday, Franklin Alao, NIPOST’s director of corporate communications, said the transition to a cashless system is one of several initiatives under a reform agenda themed “Change of Renewed Hope Berths at NIPOST Shores”.
Alao said the new direction aligns NIPOST with global best practices, the demands of Nigeria’s growing digital economy, and President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.
“Beginning July 1, 2025, all Post Offices counters nationwide will no longer accept cash payments for their services. Customers will be required to use approved electronic channels for all transactions,” the statement reads.
“This is a crucial step in our modernization journey — one that ensures safer, faster, and more transparent service delivery.”
The director said the core of the transformation is NIPOST’s dedication to evolving into a modern postal service guided by innovation, accountability, value creation, and a commitment to service excellence.
“We are assuring Nigerians of a revitalised NIPOST that delivers superior service and embraces the future,” he said.
Alao announced plans to introduce a performance-based reward and recognition system to encourage excellence, alongside disciplinary measures aimed at promoting integrity within the agency.
NIPOST expressed appreciation to Bosun Tijani, minister of communications, innovation and digital economy, for his “unwavering support and leadership”.
The organisation also commended Isaac Kekemeke, the newly appointed chairman of the NIPOST board, and Tola Odeyemi, the postmaster general and chief executive officer (CEO), for their efforts in driving reforms, improving staff welfare, and boosting capacity development.
NIPOST added that with the initiatives, the postal service aims to position itself as a forward-looking, tech-driven institution playing a central role in Nigeria’s digital advancement by “Connecting Nigeria, Delivering Solutions, and Improving Lives”.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied a viral report claiming it disclosed the reasons behind the detention of controversial social media commentator VeryDarkMan (VDM).
The activist was detained on Friday after visiting a Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) branch in Abuja with his mother to address alleged unauthorised withdrawals from her account.
Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju later revealed that VDM’s arrest followed a petition filed by a magistrate in Abuja.
However, on Monday, BBC Pidgin quoted Dele Oyewale, EFCC spokesperson, as saying the activist was arrested based on petitions filed by some individuals who had grievances against him.
When asked if the petitions were related to GTB, Oyewale was quoted to have said the complaints came from different individuals and that the EFCC has a responsibility to protect them.
“We arrested him to respond to a series of allegations raised against him by some petitioners,” Oyewale was quoted as saying.
“We will release him once he meets the bail conditions, and we will take the case to court as soon as possible. We are law-abiding.”
Following his detention, supporters and associates of VeryDarkMan took to social media to campaign for his freedom.
Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi condemned VDM’s arrest, calling it a “disregard for the rule of law and human rights”.
Atiku Abubakar, the former vice-president, expressed his disappointment with the “continued detention” of the activist without formal charges, describing it as a “violation of his constitutional rights and a sign of growing authoritarianism” in the country.
Davido also joined the outcry, praising the widespread support for VeryDarkMan as “proof that genuine activism impacts lives”.
However, shortly afterward, the commission denied speaking with BBC Pidgin.
The EFCC, which has stayed quiet about the activist’s detention and is yet to respond to TheCable Lifestyle’s inquiries, dismissed the BBC Pidgin report as “fake news” in a post via X.