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Tag: N-Power

  • N-Power portal opens for Batch C enrolment

    N-Power portal opens for Batch C enrolment

    The Federal Government has said the enrolment for Batch C beneficiaries of the N-Power Programme under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) will begin from June 26.

    Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, made the announcement in a statement signed by the Deputy Director of Information in the Ministry, Mrs Rhoda Iliya, earlier on Friday in Abuja.

    She noted that the Programme was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016 under the NSIP with the mandate of lifting citizens out of poverty through capacity building, investment, and direct support.

    “The commencement of the Batch C enrolment is sequel to far-reaching consultations and a review of the submissions on the reform and realignment of the programme for greater efficiency.

    “Batch C is also being enrolled to provide opportunities for more Nigerian youth to access the programme, in furtherance of the President’s vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.

    “This will create opportunities that will enhance the productivity of the Nigerian youth for entrepreneurship.

    “Applications will be conducted using a hybrid system of enrolment to ensure that all Nigerians are given an opportunity to participate.

    “As a Ministry that caters for the vulnerable, we will also make special considerations for persons living with disabilities.

    “Online portal would be open to receive applications from noon on June 26, 2020 and will provide a level playing field for all applicants.

    “As part of the Ministry’s reforms to make the programme more efficient, all applicants must supply their Bank Verification Number (BVN), in their application.

    “This is to ensure a streamlined and transparent selection process. Once applications are submitted, the Ministry will review submissions and publish a list of successful applicants.

    “Past beneficiaries are not eligible to participate in the application process. Comprehensive details for the new batch will be announced in the coming weeks,” Farouq said.

    However, the Minister also hinted that the Ministry had announced that Batch A would exit the programme on June 30, while Batch B would exit on July 31, 2020 respectively.

    She explained that the Ministry had begun the transitioning of beneficiaries from Batches A and B into government entrepreneurship schemes and engaging private sector bodies to absorb some of the beneficiaries.

    According to her, these will be done after the completion of psychometric assessment to determine competency and placement into various opportunities.

    “The Federal government is committed to the continuation and expansion and as such will now begin enrolment and onboarding of a new Batch of beneficiaries.”

    The minister said, the N-Power programme had so far enrolled a total 500,000 beneficiaries, 200,000 from Batch A which started in September 2016 and 300,000 from Batch B which began in August 2018.

    “The beneficiaries were supposed to spend not less than 24 months on the programme and were spread across the key industries targeted by the programme – agriculture, health, education and tax.

    “The current beneficiaries from Batches A and B are scheduled to transit the programme by July 31, 2020 with plans already in place to transition them into entrepreneurship,” she reiterated.

  • N-Power Batch C and Matters Arising

    N-Power Batch C and Matters Arising

    By Dan Ochonu

    There seems to be an uprising concerning the decision of the Honorable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to introduce new beneficiaries into the N-Power scheme under a revised and robust template that would be of utmost benefit to the teeming youthful population in the country.

    I am sure it should be surprising to discerning minds that some people would elect to view things only from the prism of their selfish interest. If this is not the case, I wonder on what basis the beneficiaries under the Batch A and B programme are protesting even with the fact that they have stayed in the programme for over 40 months.

    As a first, I think it is essential to understand that the N-Power is a job creation and empowerment programme instituted by the Federal Government of Nigeria through its National Social Investment Programmes. In other words, it’s a skill acquisition programme where youths from various parts of the country are trained in various skills under four broad categories such as N-Power Agro, where volunteers will provide advisory services to farmers across the country disseminate the knowledge that has been aggregated by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the area of extension services. They will also gather data on Nigeria’s agriculture assets
    Another category is the N-Power Teach volunteers that are deployed as teachers assistants in primary schools to help improve essential education delivery in Nigeria, and where possible, they will also assist in taking basic education to children in marginalized communities.
    The N-Power Health Volunteers help improve and promote preventive healthcare in their communities to vulnerable members of the society, including pregnant women and children and families and individuals.

    N-Power Build, Tech and Creative volunteers have received extensive training to help develop and expand their respective skillset, which would help foster innovation and creativity among the youths, while ensuring that they can turn their skills into marketable products. The above explains the N-Power initiative of the Federal Government.
    It is therefore pertinent to state that since inception in 2018, the N-Power scheme has catered for over 500,000 youths in the country with 200,000 from Batch A which started in September 2016 and 300,000 from Batch B which kicked off in August 2018. These participants have been trained in various skills as mentioned above that they can deploy to their advantage in future. But ironically, this is not the case as the advocates that have been acting on behalf of these participants wants the programmes to be a permanent and salaried job.

    This, in my opinion, is anti-progressive in the sense that they want others to be denied the same opportunity that they had when they enrolled. This is a sad episode if you ask me given the fact that the Batch A and B beneficiaries have elected to let hell loose because the federal government revised the programme to allow room for new beneficiaries under the proposed Batch C programme.

    Welcome to Nigeria where patriotism is never the watchword if you decide to stand on the side of truth and to do the right thing, you are regarded as a villain. In my view, the actions of those that have launched an attack on the honorable minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development are nothing but greedy, selfish and against the interest of the country.

    If this is not the case, how could one explain a situation where doing the right and putting the interest of the country has become a crime as propagated by the earlier beneficiaries on the N-Power programme. This is a sad tale, and I am glad that someone has decided to change the narrative, not minding…

  • N- Power: Forum lauds Sadiya Farouq, vows to expose characters behind attempt to smear Minister’s image

    N- Power: Forum lauds Sadiya Farouq, vows to expose characters behind attempt to smear Minister’s image

    The N-Power Nationwide Beneficiaries Forum has lauded the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, for her transparent, accountable and propitious handling of the scheme.

    In a statement co-signed by President, Dr Okwu Audu James and Secretary-General, Comrade Unde Saaember Emmanuel, on Monday, the forum vowed to expose “ungrateful characters attempting to smear the minister’s image”.

    Introduced in 2015, N-Power is one of four National Social Investment Program created by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to ensure a more equitable distribution of resources to vulnerable populations.

    Thousands of Nigerian youths have benefited from the program with job training and education, as well as a monthly stipend of 30,000.

    And the scheme appears to have been taken to an all-new height since Hajiya Farouq was appointed minister last year with a well-packaged transition plan into entrepreneurship.

    However, the entire exercise is already being endangered by some groups.

    According to the N-Power Forum, these persons “are not beneficiaries as they appear more like hirelings that were recruited with the objective of maligning the government.”

    The group reasoned that anyone against the transition plan of the government is only lazy and addicted to freebies.

    The N-Power beneficiaries expressed gratitude to President Buhari and Hajiya Farouq, first for the programme, which they said has improved their lives and the transition plan.

    The forum said it is aware of clandestine moves by some disgruntled elements to infiltrate the laudable initiative of Mr President, sponsoring veiled and dubious propaganda against the minister.

    It, however, dissociated itself from such selfish and self-serving individuals, urging for caution for anyone transacting business in the name of N- Power.

  • FG announces date for enrollment of third batch of N-Power beneficiaries

    FG announces date for enrollment of third batch of N-Power beneficiaries

    The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has said that it will commence the enrolment of the third batch of N-Power beneficiaries next week.

    According to the ministry, the decision to enrol the third batch of the scheme was made following consultations and a review of the submissions on the reform of the programme for greater efficiency.

    It also explained that the enrolment will provide opportunities for more Nigerian youths to access the programme, in furtherance of the President’s vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.

    The ministry said the current enrollees of the scheme (Batch A) will exit June 30, 2020 while (Batch B) will exit the programme on July 31, 2020.

    This is contained in a statement in Abuja on Friday by the Deputy Director Information of the ministry, Rhoda Iliya.

    According to the Minister, Sadiya Farouq, “We have commenced the transitioning of beneficiaries from Batches A and B into government entrepreneurship schemes and engaging private sector bodies to absorb some of the beneficiaries after the completion of psychometric assessment to determine competency and placement into various opportunities.

    “The Federal government is committed to the continuation and expansion and as such will now begin enrolment and onboarding of a new Batch of beneficiaries. Skills acquisition for entrepreneurship and job creation are critical for an economy that will require a boost post-COVID-19 and we are gearing up proactively for the challenge.”

    On the mode of application, the ministry said: “Applications will be conducted using a hybrid system of enrolment to ensure that all Nigerians are given an opportunity to participate. As a Ministry that caters for the vulnerable, we will also make special considerations for Persons living with disabilities.

    “The online portal would be open to receive applications from noon on June 26, 2020 and will provide a level playing field for all applicants.

    “As part of the Ministry’s reforms to make the programme more efficient, all applicants must supply their Bank Verification Number (BVN) in their application to ensure a streamlined and transparent selection process.”

    The ministry further explained that once applications are submitted, it will review submissions and publish a list of successful applicants.

    It also stated that comprehensive details for the new batch will be announced in the coming weeks.

    It however noted that past beneficiaries will not be eligible to participate in the application process.

    The N-Power Programme was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016 under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) with the mandate of lifting citizens out of poverty through capacity building, investment, and direct support.

    The programme has enrolled 500,000 beneficiaries so far with 200,000 from Batch A which started in September 2016 and 300,000 from Batch B which kicked off in August 2018.

    The beneficiaries were supposed to spend not less than 24 months on the programme and were spread across the key industries targeted by the programme; agriculture, health, education, and tax.

  • N-Power: FG clears air on plan to absorb beneficiaries into Civil Service

    Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, says the Federal Government has no plan at the moment to absorb beneficiaries of the N-Power Programme into the Federal Civil Service.

    Farouq, in a statement by the Deputy Director in the Ministry, Mrs Rhoda Ilaya, on Saturday, said that Nigerians should be wary of fake news about absorption of N-Power beneficiaries Batch A into the Federal Civil Service.

    “The attention of the Ministry has been drawn to the fake news trending on social media that President Muhammadu Buhari will on June 12 broadcast to the nation the absorption of N-POWER Volunteers Batch A, into the Federal Civil Service.

    “The Ministry is hereby calling on the public to disregard the message and consider it as fake news.

    “Any information on N-Power or the National Social Investment Programme will be issued through the appropriate channels,” the minister said.

  • FG explains two months payment delay of N-Power beneficiaries

    FG explains two months payment delay of N-Power beneficiaries

    The Federal Government has explained why beneficiaries of N-Power programme across the country have not been paid their stipends in the last two months.

    N-Power is one of the national Social Investment Programme (SIP) designed by the present administration to reduce the growing rate of poverty, unemployment and social insecurity.

    According to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, the delay is because the handing and taking over process is yet to be concluded.

    The minister also explained that the delay is not unconnected to lack of proper exit plan for beneficiaries that enrolled in 2016 despite expiration of their contract.

    Moving forward, the minister noted that the ministry was making efforts to develop exit plan which was not in existent.

    She however assured that the money owed would be paid to beneficiaries upon conclusion of the handing over and taking over process, adding that government will continue to fund its Social Investment Programmes and ensure that it touches lives positively.

    She disclosed this in her office in Abuja on Monday during a press briefing.

    Giving reasons for the delay, she said: “I have received initial briefings from heads of Agencies and Programmes reporting to the Ministry from October 2019, however on account of the technicalities involved, the handing over process is still on-going.

    “With regards to recent agitations and outcry against the non – approval of payments of October and November, 2019 stipends to N-Power beneficiaries, the Ministry wishes to reaffirm its commitment to ensuring that beneficiaries of all the Social Investment Programmes access interventions designed for them within the stipulated guidelines.

    “There are information gaps with regards the monitoring and evaluation mechanism and framework of the N – Power and the GEEP programmes. Some officials of NSIP are of the view that the programmes should be completely restructured.

    “The Ministry is currently engaging the NSIP Cluster heads for clarifications; in essence, the handover and taking process is still ongoing.”

    She continued: “The N-Power beneficiaries enrolled in 2016 are yet to be exited 16 months after the elapse of their contract; they are supposed to have been graduated to a more productive venture and the Ministry is currently making efforts to develop an exit strategy, which is non-existent.

    “I wish to seize this opportunity to assure all N- Power beneficiaries and indeed all Nigerians of the Ministry’s commitment to Mr. President’s promise to stem poverty in the country as well as lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.

    “The Ministry also wishes to assure all beneficiaries that all arrears will be paid as soon as the handing and taking processes are concluded and the grey areas are addressed.”

    She also allayed fears that the programme would be scrapped. “There should be no apprehension with regards to the continuity or sustainability of the SIP as the government will continue to adequately fund them and ensure that they reach the beneficiaries and touch lives positively.

  • Plateau SUBEB boss decries absence of N-power teachers in schools

    Plateau SUBEB boss decries absence of N-power teachers in schools

    The Plateau State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has decried the absence of teachers posted to the Federal Government’s N-power scheme to teach in public primary schools in the state.

    Prof. Mathew Sule, the Executive Chairman of the board, who made the remark while monitoring resumption of schools at Obasanjo Model School, Hwolshe, on Monday in Jos, said the teachers’ truant act was detrimental to the objective of the scheme of complementing the state government’s efforts at improving the standard of education.

    “This is morally wrong, where people are posted to schools and they do not attend to their responsibilities, we have no choice but to report them to the appropriate authorities.

    “If they cannot come to school, they should be taken to other places, we want orderliness, they must go by the school rules and create a conducive learning environment for the children,” Sule said.

    He alleged that some of the N-power teachers has multiple engagements, thus unable to have time for the teaching scheme, saying they were not justifying government resources given to them through the project.

    He, therefore, advised them to disengage from the scheme if they could not cope with its responsibilities, saying they must justify the allowances given to them as many unemployed persons were looking for such opportunities.

    The chairman, however, commended parents for the large turnout of pupils in the schools, saying it was an evidence that they heeded to the board’s plea for early resumption and immediate take off of the 2019/2020 new school session.

    He urged the pupils to be punctual to school, be of good conduct, respect their teachers and study hard to improve on their last session’s grades.

    He said he would ensure that the teachers adopted the improved pedagogical skills to improve learning and enhance SUBEB’s monitoring exercises, to ensure good performance by teachers.

    In her response, Mrs Martha Gyang, the head teacher of the School, pledged their commitment to discharge their duties diligently and report teachers who failed in such compliance.

    Blessing Marcus, a Grade four pupil of the school, thanked her parents for providing her with text books while promising to get better grades in the new session.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the SUBEB boss monitored school resumption in Obasanjo Model School Hwolshe compromising of Schools A, B and C in Jos South Local Government Area.

  • N-power to engage 7000 youths in software development programme

    N-power to engage 7000 youths in software development programme

    Mr Afolabi Imoukhuede, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation and Youth Empowerment, on Tuesday said that the Npower would engage 7,000 youths from across the country in software development programmes.

    Imoukhuede said this on Tuesday at the News Agency of Nigeria Forum in Abuja.

    He said that the programme would be introduced as part of the mandate of the scheme to economically empower the youth in the country.

    He noted that no fewer than 50,000 Nigerian youth were already engaged in skills acquisition programmes in different parts of the country with additional 500,000 graduates engaged as volunteers in N-Agro, N-Teach and N-Health since 2016.

    According to Imoukhuede, there is need for the country to begin to use technology or new thinking to solve some perennial challenges confronting the country.

    “We are to stimulate a lot in young people for them to begin to think out of the box or even imagine a no box at all and really bring up ideas,’’ he said.

    Imoukhuede emphasised the need for the country to strengthen efforts toward unlocking the potential in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through technological innovations.

    “SMEs are greater core not only to our youth but to all, and that is where an average youth will blend as a micro player.

    “In looking at job creation, we realised that SME is the engine of any formidable economy.

    “So for us, we looked at it that it was with the least attention or the greatest challenge.

    “We designed strategies targeted at unlocking the binding constraints that had hitherto hampered the successful entry of our micro enterprises into mainstream business.

    “That is one of the areas we looked at because that in many ways is to unlock entrepreneurship.

    “When you begin to look at unemployment we must wake up to the reality that the white collar jobs are not there in the number to match the number of our teeming graduates that are getting to the labour market.

    “So the earlier we begin to redirect them in the area of innovations using technology to promote entrepreneurship the better for us,’’ Imoukhuede stated.

    He, however, observed that the federal government had recorded successes in its social investment programmes.

    According to him, 9.3 million children in 26 states so far are benefiting from the home grown school feeding programme.

    “While this caters for our young school children, it also serves as a job creation tool because in that programme 9.3 million children are being fed in over 26 states.

    “100,000 cooks are being recruited to cook the food while 90,000 farmers as well are engaged because the instruction is that we must eat what we grow locally.

    “Another is the conditional cash transfer of N5,000 that we pay to the most vulnerable which we pay to the poorest of the poor, the aged and the widows.

    “Also is the government enterprise empowerment programme, the Trader money, the farmer money for the different groups just to create access to finance for artisans and traders,’’ Imoukhuede said.

     

  • Elections: Wike kicks against use of N-power beneficiaries as adhoc staff for INEC

    Elections: Wike kicks against use of N-power beneficiaries as adhoc staff for INEC

    Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that the state will not allow the use of N-power personnel as INEC Ad-Hoc Staff during the 2019 General Elections.
    Addressing the PDP Campaign Rally for Ikwerre Local Government Area on Monday at Omagwa, Governor Wike said that the N-power list is concocted to favour APC with a view to rigging the 2019 General Elections.
    He said: “I hear INEC wants to use N-power personnel as Ad-Hoc Staff for the elections. This is a ploy to rig the elections.
    “N-power personnel will not be allowed to serve as INEC Ad-Hoc Staff in Rivers State. If you bring them, we will chase them away”.
    Governor Wike said all Nigerians should share in the blame of allowing a man without knowledge of the economy to emerge as President of the country.
    “The mass unemployment across the country is due to the emergence of Buhari. All Nigerians should share in the blame for their suffering.
    “We took our future and mandate and handed over to people who don’t understand job creation “, he said.
    Governor Wike charged the people to vote for the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar for his understanding of the economy and ability to create jobs.
    He said: “All his life, Atiku Abubakar has been involved in job creation. He is one of the highest employers of labour in Nigeria”.
    While urging the people to vote for all PDP candidates, Governor Wike said that during his second term he would construct Omerelu and Omagwa Internal Roads.
    Rivers State PDP Chairman, Bro Felix Obuah performed the traditional handing over of flags to PDP candidates. He appealed to the people of the area to remain steadfast.
    Former Rivers State Governor, Sir Celestine Omehia said Governor Wike is a true son of Ikwerre who has transformed the state and the people are happy with him.
    He said in Ikwerre Local Government Area, Governor Wike executed key projects that have improved the economy of the area.
    “Wike is our son in whom we are well pleased. Ikwerre people are happy that you have kept your promises”, he said.
    Omehia said Governor Wike in the course his first term executed key projects for the good people of Ikwerre Local Government Area.
    Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area, Mr Nwanosike Samuel said that the use of security agencies to rig elections in the area will not work in 2019.
    PDP House of Representatives Candidate for Ikwerre/ Emohua Federal Constituency, Mr Boniface Emerengwa said that the people will overwhelmingly vote for Governor Wike and other PDP candidates.
    Vice Chancellor of the Rivers State University, Prof Blessing Didia said Ikwerre people will reciprocate the kind gesture of Governor Wike through their votes.

  • Elections: CUPP accuses INEC of recruiting N-Power beneficiaries as adhoc staff

    Opposition political parties on the platform of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) on Sunday raised the alarm on alleged plan by the Independent National Electoral Commission to compromise the forthcoming general elections.

    They accused the electoral body of recruiting beneficiaries of the present administration’s N-Power programme as ad hoc staff for the general election.

    The coalition’s first national spokesperson, Imo Ugochinyere, made the allegation in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja.

    Ugochinyere said, “The President wants to use the beneficiaries of their failed N-Power programme to technically rig the election.

    “The INEC Chairman should ensure the credibility which he promised Nigerians by making sure that no N-Power beneficiary is recruited as ad hoc staff in the election because it is clear that these so-called beneficiaries are going to be used by President Buhari and his APC cohorts to rig the elections.”

    The coalition’s spokesman claimed that the present administration has failed Nigerians and it is clear to government officials that they will lose the election in a free and fair contest.

    This, he said, was why they are adopting all manner of ploys to rig the elections.

    He added that information available to the CUPP indicated that Mrs Amina Zakari, believed to be a relative of the President would be in charge of the recruitment and training of the wards/local government areas/state collation and returning officers.

    “We have just been informed from a very reliable source that Amina Zakari will be in charge of the recruitment and training of the Ward/LGA/State Collation and returning officers.

    “This is an obvious effort by Amina Zakari to influence and manipulate the conduct of the 2019 elections,” he said.