NEXIT Loan: N-power Volunteers interviewed by Sahara Reporters over NEXIT Loan, 14,000 owed backlog

An Exited N-power Beneficiary who preferred anonymity has spoken fervently to Sahara Reporters over NEXIT Loan and unpaid Backlogs to about 14,000 Batch A and B N-power Beneficiaries. 

The media outlet in the publication tittled EXPOSED: Buhari’s Minister, Sadiya Farouq Withholds Promised Loans To 500,000 Disengaged NPower Beneficiaries, Owes 14,000 Volunteers Five Months’ Stipends, yesterday, said it has learnt how the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, failed to give out the Nigerian government back-up loans, known as N-Exit to the 500,000 disengaged Npower Scheme beneficiaries and how about 14,000 beneficiaries of the scheme have also not been paid their stipends in the last five months.

Speaking during the interview, the N-power Beneficiary said, “Npower Batch A and B who were engaged 2016 and 2017 respectively were disengaged since May 2020.

“While she launched another portal for exited Npower beneficiaries to apply for their exit package which the Federal government promised to give all the exited beneficiaries after serving for about three years.

“They are owing about 14,000 beneficiaries five months stipend but Sadiya Farouq keeps mute after making numerous promises without fulfillment while the 500,000 exited beneficiaries remained desperate for not getting loans promised while opening the portal.”

The N-power volunteer emphasised that detaching 500,000 youths from the scheme could be one of the reasons there is insecurity in the North, as jobless youths will resolve into criminalities to fend for themselves.

He continued: “Her mismanagement of the affairs with myopic thinking, abuse of the office she is heading and corruption that's running in her veins has contributed towards the growing insecurity situation in the North.

“The disengagement of Npower batch A and B beneficiaries might be responsible for the security challenges we are battling now. We say no to her false promises.

“Why would the federal government used and dumped us? How would it dump 500,000 law-abiding youths? We worked for it and we deserved to be given an exit package if at all the federal government can't employ us after they promised and later abandoned us.

“Afterall, we and our family members contributed much for the election that brought them, APC into power."

The National President of Exited N-Power Beneficiaries, Comrade Bashir Gobir confirming the report to Sahara Reporters said, “The Federal Government through Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has refused to fulfil this promise since June and July 2020 to date."

“I have received more than a hundred calls every day from the disengaged beneficiaries; the same thing on my WhatsApp. This is uncomfortable. Sadiya Faruq promised us loans but nothing has been heard about the issue. It’s over a year. It’s so sad this is coming from her office and the Nigerian government.”

Related: N-power: Batch C enrolment almost ready, no more Backlogs owed to Batch A and B - Farouk says

The NEXIT Loan progamme launched by the Ministry in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria was aimed at providing economic opportunities to the exited N-power Beneficiaries.

Announcing the inauguration of the portal early this year Farouk stated: “A Portal that will enable Exited N-Power Beneficiaries to apply for Central Bank of Nigeria Empowerment Options has been launched by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management.”

The Minister opened the portal to roll out loans to those exited from the N-power programme but the affected N-power Volunteers said she has kept mute on the issue since she inaugurated it in May 2020.

The Farouq-headed Humanitarian Affairs Ministry launched the project to lift 100million Nigerians out of poverty but the beneficiaries of batches A and B were disengaged in 2016 and 2017, the beneficiaries argued.