Before General Election:
The N-power Program, an initiative of the President Mohammadu Buhari All Progressive Congress led administration, designed to empower Nigerian youths with on-the-job training experiences as well as serve as a linkage between the beneficiaries and available opportunities through a synergy between the Government at all levels and, the Private Sector had about 500,000 graduates of Colleges of Education, Polytechnics, Schools of Health and Universities engaged in the Educational, Health and Agricultural sectors on a monthly stipend of N30,000.
The Program, started in 2016, was designed to last for 2years after which each batch of the beneficiaries would be strategically exited into a permanent employment or entrepreneurship but had a new shape close to the 2019 General Election campaign period.
The Batch A who were supposed to be exited in October 2018 after a periodic Facebook live Chat with the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation and Youth Employment, Mr Afolabi Imoukuede, gained an indefinite duration alongside the Batch B, and were promised permanent employement upon re-election of the President and the APC administration while assuring that their PVCs were their tickets to permanent employment in the Video below:
The promise motivated the N-power Beneficiaries to turn into vanguards of the APC 4+4 agenda in their various communities of the 36 States of the Federation.
During General Election:
The campaign period of the 2019 General Election witnessed a mammoth crowd of the N-power Beneficiaries who campaigned and supported the re-election of the present administration with vigour, in all ramification as shown in the Video below:
After the General Election:
The tireless efforts of the team that designed the N-power Program is immeasurable as they did not only stand for the beneficiaries but also fought for them when National decisions are made and were ready to ensure their safe landing into a permanent employment or entrepreneurial prowess but also, they ensured that none of the law abiding beneficiaries would be exited until their exit plans are concluded as they continued to pay their stipends.
The Vice President, Prof Yemi Osibanjo, had in several of his speeches assured that none of the beneficiaries would be thrown back to the street without a meaningful means of livelihood. His Team members, Mr Afolabi Imoukuede, Mrs Maryam Uwais,Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments, Ismaeel Ahmed, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Social Investments among others were technically vast in handling the N-power Program with a private sector pragmatism, a system that was devoid of political manipulation, and promoted inclusiveness regardless of political affiliation.
The Twist:
The N-power Program developed a weak posture after its transfer to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development under the leadership of Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouk, in October 2019 as the beneficiaries of the Program were owed for consecutive three months prompting the National Assembly to querry the Ministry in a video below:
There came a continuous delay in payment of Stipends which the Ministry stated was due to data transfer to the new ministry, account reconciliation, activation of new payment platform among others which instigated the beneficiaries using the media to air their anxiety and uncertainty.
Then in June 2020, the Humaitarian Affiars Ministry announced the exit of the 500,000 Batch A and B beneficiaries in June and July respectively, stating their plan of recruiting a new batch while there are plans for the transitioning of the exited batches in weeks to come which would be communicated to each of the beneficiaries individually.
The Beneficiaries having waited for weeks without clearing of their backlog stipends and without a clear exit plan nor consideration of the COVID-19 Pandemic, took to the street of Nigeria especially Abuja to protest their sudden disengagement from the lifeline program as many had married with kids while dependent on the program and previous promises from the Government.
Related:
Batch A and B Transition is a Scam - N-power Volunteers insist
In Oyo State, the voice of protesting N-power Batch A and B remain thesame -See Photos and Videos
Minister silent on addressing Volunteers' demand -N-power Volunteers lament
Reactions trailed the travail of the N-power Beneficiaries as many well meaning Nigerians critised the decision of the government stating clearly that the timing was not only inappropriate but would also deepen the social vices and insecurity in the country.
Read Also:
94.2% Nigerians confirm that N-power Beneficiaries deserve Permanent Employment -Daily Times Nigeria
As time went on, the beneficiaries of the N-power Program under their official national umbrella of '36 States N-power Representatives Forum and vowed to continue on a peaceful protest until their voices are heard.
Related
The Launch of Batch C and NEXIT Plan
Following the sudden disengagement of N-power Batch A and B was the commencement of N-power Batch C. The batch C is designed to accommodate 500,000 beneficiaries and a follow-up of another 500,000 beneficiaries forming the Batch D.
However, before the full launch of Batch C on the NASIMS Portal www.nasims.gov.ng in 2021, there was a launch of NEXIT Plan.
According to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouk, the design of the NEXIT Plan, a collaborative effort of the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry and the Central Bank of Nigeria to transit the exited Batch A and B N-power Beneficiaries into the Federal Government Intervention Schemes, is such that:
i) 200,000 beneficiaries will be engaged as financial services operators under the Shared Agent Network Expansion Facility (SANEF)
ii) 30,000 to be engaged beneficiaries as geospatial experts and enumerators in the Economic Sustainability Plan’s Mass Agric programme
iii) others would have the option of benefiting from the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) micro-enterprise loans.
Related:
The Final Death of Batch A and B
The NEXIT registration was ongoing until lately when registration portal went offline without any statement from the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry till date.
It was followed by the shutting of the Twitter Account of the National President of the 36 State and FCT Reps Forum, Comrade Kabiru Pelemi, following a continued protest, now online, which was meant to further press home their demands to the Federal Government.
As at now, all promises have been cancelled, the beneficiaries ignored and abandoned to wallow in a rebirth of unemployment.
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