The Federal Government of Nigeria has vowed to disengage about 500,000 beneficiaries of the Nigeria’s social investment N-Power programme, Afriupdate reports.
Rhoda Iliya, the current engagement, spokesperson for the humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development ministry, made the announcement on Thursday in a press statement in response to the administration’s vision of lifting 100 million people out of poverty by creating opportunities to enhance the productivity of the Nigerian youth.
It would be recalled that the minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development, Sadiya Farouq on February during an interview with the press pointed out that the program was supposed to have ended and it’s beneficiaries employment terminated since 2018 as it was rightly supposed to, being that the program was originally supposed to last for only two years, adding that the program was created in order to support and help the ever increasing number of unemployed youths and graduates.
She also noted that the wise among the beneficiaries must have saved from their monthly stipends to cater for the future.
The programme has enrolled 500,000 beneficiaries thus far – 200,000 from Batch A which started in September 2016 and 300,000 from Batch B which kicked off in August 2018.
The beneficiaries were supposed to spend 24 months on the programme but Batch A beneficiaries have spent over 40 months.
“Both Batches will soon be terminated said Iliya in the statement”.
“The current beneficiaries have overstayed in the programme “thereby denying other Nigerians an opportunity to access the programme and gain skills for entrepreneurship and employment.”
Although Illiya confirmed that the government is working on the exit for the beneficiaries, she did not give a specific date or month.
“The first and second batch, they are still working on their exit,” “There is no specific date.” Illiya added.
The N-Power is Nigeria’s work-for-cash social assistance scheme with enrollees placed across public health and education establishments in the states. It started under the control of the Vice President but since the commencement of the second tenure of the Buhari administration, Ms Sadiya has been charge.
N-Power beneficiaries have not been pleased with the administration of the programme since the management of the programme was transferred to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development in 2019.
Afriupdate learnt that the two batches of the graduate category have experienced frequent late payment of their monthly stipend compared to when the programme was under the Vice President’s Office.
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