Beneficiaries of the Nigerian government’s empowerment scheme, N-Power, under the umbrella of the National Association of N-Power Beneficiaries, Batch ‘C’, have written to President Bola Tinubu, asking him to take action regarding their unpaid stipends.
The beneficiaries asked the President to summon the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, for questioning over the nonpayment of their nine-month stipends.
The aggrieved beneficiaries in a letter written by their National Publicity Secretary, Adeshina Adex, lamented that for the last nine months, N-Power management had failed to disburse stipends to them, adding that in October, November and December 2022, less than 70% of the beneficiaries were paid while the rest left unpaid.
Adex stated that no beneficiary of the programme was paid at all from January through September 2023, adding that the nonpayment of the nine months’ stipends has left beneficiaries in a state of financial uncertainty and despair.
“Mr. President, the non-payment of stipends to beneficiaries of the N-Power program has caused immense distress, inconveniences and hardship to millions of our unemployed graduates captured under the scheme.
“I implore Mr. President to take swift action to address this issue by summoning the Minister, the National Coordinator of NSIPA (National Social Investment Programme Agency) and the Program Manager of N-Power to restore the faith of the Nigerian people in their government's commitment to their well-being and welfare.
“For the past nine (9) months, N-Power has failed to disburse stipends to its beneficiaries. The months of October, November and December of 2022 were paid to less than 70% of the beneficiaries while the rest remain unpaid.
“No beneficiary of this Program was paid a dime in the whole of 2023 starting from January through September, this has left beneficiaries in a state of financial uncertainty and despair.”
Adex added, “The reason provided for this delay is the claim that funds for the said months have not been approved or disbursed into NASIMS (National Social Investment Management System) account by the presidency.
“The second reason is that funds meant for this payment were mopped up from the Ministry's account and another ridiculous reason was that the funds were held by consultants employed by the previous administration to oversee the programme. Aren't these contradictions laughable?”
He stated that all the beneficiaries “will agree with me that since the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs took over NSIP from the Presidency in 2019, all the activities associated with N-Power have been riddled with technical glitches and inconsistencies”.
He said, “This situation has created a dire state of affairs, as beneficiaries struggle to meet their basic needs and support their families. The unpaid stipends were meant to alleviate financial burdens and enable individuals to contribute to the economy.
“This prolonged delay has exacerbated the already difficult circumstances faced by these individuals due to fuel subsidy removal and numerous demands associated with the festive seasons thereby pushing Beneficiaries further into poverty and despair.
“Lastly, I hope that Mr. President as the father of the nation will wade into this issue of national concern and invite the minister of Humanitarian affairs and her management teams to give accounts as to why they could not initiate payment for a good 9 months.”
The N-Power scheme was set up by former President Muhammadu Buhari on June 8, 2016, to address the issues of youth unemployment and help increase social development in Nigeria.
The scheme was created as a component of the National Social Investment Program (NSIP) to provide a structure for large-scale and relevant work skills acquisition and development.