In 2016, the Npower Programme kick-started with 200,000 Youths (known as Batch A) who were engaged in the Graduate and Non-Graduates categories of the Programme.
While the Graduate Category recieved N30,000 monthly Stipend for over 2years, the Non-Graduate Category recieved N10,000 for a period of 1 year.
In 2018, about 300,000 Youths were engaged in the programme as Batch B with highest number of beneficiaries always emerging from the Graduate Categories: N-Teach, N-Health and N-Agro.
Both Batch A and B Npower Programme were terminated in June and July 2020 respectively.
Related: Documentary: The N-power Program before, during and after 2019 General Election | UPDATED
The 510,000 Batch C1 Beneficiaries were engaged in 2021 and ended their 1 year Programme in August 2022.
The current trending issue in the Npower Programme is the Payment of 490,000 Batch C2 Npower beneficiaries who were engaged on 4th October, 2022 but are yet to recieve their first Stipend, about 3 months into the Programme.
This has brought lots of questions and speculation on the continuity of the Programme especially as the 2023 General Election draws closer.
Here are 5 Things to Expect in the Npower Programme in 2023
1. Payment of Batch C2 Npower beneficiaries Stipends
Since the engagement of the Batch C2 Npower beneficiaries in October 2022, none of the 490,000 beneficiaries have recieved their October, November and December Stipends.
The anticipation was high that the Batch C2 Stipend Payment would commence in the first and Second week of December 2022. However, several issues stood against the commencement of the payment.
Related: Npower Batch C2 Stipend Payment: Why no Payment before Christmas
Considering the few days left in 2022 and the processing cycle of Npower Stipends, it is not clear to say that the Batch C2 Stipend Payment would begin in 2022. However, from January 2023, the payment of the Batch C2 Npower beneficiaries is expected to fully commence.
2. Payment of Batch C1 Outstanding Stipends
Following the termination of the Batch C1 Npower Programme in August 2022, some of the beneficiaries are yet to recieve their August Stipend.
Related: Npower Batch C1 Extension News: Npower Batch C1 done and dusted, ministry states
All outstanding Batch C1 Npower beneficiaries Stipends will be cleared from January 2023.
3. Implementation of the Work Nation Programme
As a Transition Plan for the Batch C Stream 1 Npower beneficiaries, following the end of their one year programme, the Work Nation Programme is meant to train and retrain the beneficiaries for possible job placement and loan opportunities.
The Programme which started in October 2022 has not recorded any success as the core mission and vision are yet to be implemented.
The Work Nation Programme will be test-run in the year 2023 and will be fully implemented in the same year.
4. Establishment of N-SIP Agency
A bill seeking the establishment of National Social Investment Programme Agency for the management and implementation of the National Social Investment Prorgrammes was approved by the Federal Executive Council in September this year.
The Bill has been forwarded to the Senate and it has passed its Second Reading.
It will be signed into law in 2023 and that will make N-SIP and it's components: Npower, Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), Home Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP), GEEP Loan, institutionalised into an Agency, which continues to exist even beyond 2023.
5. Change of the Minister
This could have been the number 1 in the minds of many but it's made the last of the Anticipations because it will be the last to happen.
Even though the General Election is on 25th February 2023, the current government will still be in power till May 2023 when it will hand over to the new government.
The new government will appoint new Ministers and there will be many reshufflements in the Ministries, Agencies and Parastatals, which includes the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
In summary, 2023 will be a great year in the Npower Programme. A lot of things that were unable to be initiated or completed in 2022 will be initiated and/or completed in 2023.
Happy New Year to all our Audience!
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