Minister silent on addressing Volunteers' demand -N-power Volunteers lament

The Beneficiaries of the N-power Program have decried the silence of the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development weeks after the protest in Abuja by the disengaged N-power Beneficiaries.

The Beneficiaries who trooped en masse to protest their sudden disengagement from the N-power Program amidst COVID-19 Pandemic without a clear exit strategy, factual deliberation on a permanent employment as promised during 2019 General Election Campaign, unpaid Stipends of several months and many more, were demanding either a permanent employment or a grant token of N600,000 to proceed on entrepreneurial endeavours.

Reacting to the protest, the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umah Farouk in a weekly update of her Ministry's activities, stated that "I received news of a protest at the National Assembly by N-Power Batch A and B beneficiaries who presented a list of demands which we are reviewing and will address as practically possible."

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The volunteers whose Stipends remain unpaid till date have decried the present turnout of the N-power program insisting that all action are punitive as the brunt has been disastrous to them and their families.

Meanwhile, the application for the 2020 N-power Batch C registration officially ends today. The registration process which was extended to additional two was to enable more Nigerians apply for the N-power Program.

The Ministry had stated that over 5 million Nigerian youths between the ages of 18 to 35 have tendered application for the 400,000 volunteering opportunity that would last for 1 year for the graduate category particularly N-Teach and N-Health on a Stipend of N30,000, and 6 months for the non-graduate category including the N-power Agro on a less stipend.