The federal government has taken the decision to suspend the N-Power program indefinitely due to a multitude of irregularities within the scheme.
The announcement was made on Saturday, October 7, by Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. Edu explained that these irregularities have necessitated a thorough investigation into the utilization of funds since the program’s inception.
The minister highlighted some of the key issues that have led to this suspension, such as beneficiaries receiving monthly stipends without fulfilling their place of assignment. Additionally, Edu noted that some beneficiaries were supposed to have exited the program in 2022 but are still on the payroll.
Edu elaborated on the decision, stating,
“We must go back to look into N-Power and understand what the problems are so we will basically suspend the programme for now until we are done with a proper investigation into the utilization of funds in the N-Power program.”
“We want to know how many persons are basically on the program right now, how many persons are owed, and the amount they are owed. We are totally restructuring the N-Power and expanding it.”
She further emphasized, “There are lots going on. We met people who are supposed to have exited the program since last year and they are still on claiming that they are still teaching.”
“Sometimes we contact the school or the places where they are working, and they are not there. They are not working yet they keep claiming that they are being owed eight or nine months stipends. About 80 percent of them are not working yet they are claiming salaries.”
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