N-Power Unpaid Stipends/NEXIT: Nigerian Man Bemoans Abandonment By Minister Farouq

A social media user, Oloyede Israel has criticised Sadiya Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development for 'abandoning' 500,000 Nigerian youths "without proper and immediate exit package settlement".

The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs had via its verified Twitter handle on Wednesday disclosed that Hajia Farouq "commissioned and handed over the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (N-CARES) project vehicles to the State CARES Co-ordinators".

Clearly unhappy with the treatment of disengaged N-Power beneficiaries, Israel posted a tweet reply: "With this fund lavished on new programme and they said, they are still sourcing fund for NEXIT @npowernewsng. Why would you commence Npower with 500,000 beneficiaries and abandon them without proper and immediate exit package settlement?"

With this fund lavished on new programme and they said,they are still sourcing fund for NEXIT @npowernewsng.Why would you commence Npower with 500,000 beneficiaries and abandon them without proper and immediate exit package settlement?

— Oloyede Israel (@OloyedeIsrael1) May 27, 2021

Exited N-Power batches A and B beneficiaries continue to express their dismay at the inaction of Nigerian authorities in respect of the owed stipends of exited beneficiaries and the delayed implementation of the NEXIT by the Federal Ministry of the Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

Batches A and B beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s N-Power scheme had not long ago commenced an online protest in respect of their unpaid stipends from 2020 and the delayed implementation of the NEXIT by the FG.

AllNews understands that the online protest - orchestrated by the 36 States and FCT N-Power Representatives - has ended.

The demonstration became imminent following the expiration of the near four-week ultimatum given to the Ministry of the Humanitarian Affairs, which is headed by Sadiya Farouq.

The reason for the last online protest by former N-Power volunteers

Six months after the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development asked Batches A and B beneficiaries who are owed multiple months stipends to see their State Focal Person, Farouq, who heads the ministry has continued to ignore their cries.

More than 14,000 bonafide N-Power Batches A and B beneficiaries, who were disengaged from the scheme since July 2020 have not been paid their entitled stipends (many of them owed March to July, and Wema Bank users didn't get paid for June 2020). This, despite the revalidation exercise that happened in October 2020 across major Nigerian states.

Also, since releasing the NEXIT Portal on November 30, 2020 - four months after exiting N-Power Batches A and B beneficiaries, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development of Nigeria which is saddled with N-Power duties have not effected the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Empowerment Programme.

This is despite the fact that hundreds of ex-N-Power beneficiaries have logged on to the NEXIT portal and provided the required additional information for possible placements into the various CBN intervention options.

The ultimatum given by the N-Power representatives forum to the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry lapsed on Monday, 12th April 2021. Hence, the last online protests. Some of the hashtags deployed were #PayNPowerMoney, #APCDeceivedNpower and #ImplementOurNexitPlanNow.

Established in 2016, the N-Power scheme is one of the national social investment programmes of the federal government targeted at unemployed graduates who are engaged by the government and paid a N30,000 monthly stipend.