FG to Pay N-Power Beneficiaries Nine Months Arrears in November

The federal government has revealed that it will begin to clear the nine-month arrears of allowance owed to N-Power beneficiaries in November 2023. The N-Power programme, which is a social intervention scheme aimed at providing jobs and skills to young Nigerians, was put on hold in January 2023 for restructuring and a forensic audit.

The national programme manager of N-Power, Akindele Egbuwalo, made this known during a meeting with some N-Power beneficiaries in Abuja on Monday, October 16. He said that funds have been retrieved from the former payment service providers, and arrangements have been made to pay the outstanding stipends to beneficiaries in batches.

He also announced that the N-Power programme has been rebranded as the Renewed Hope Job Creation Programme (RHJCP) under the supervision of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Dr. Betta Edu. He said that the new programme will target five million beneficiaries in five years, with one million youths being enrolled each year under the graduate and non-graduate streams.

Egbuwalo assured the beneficiaries of complete transparency and accountability in the payment process. He also urged them to be patient and calm as they await their payments. He said that the federal government is committed to improving the lives of young Nigerians through various social intervention programmes.

Some of the beneficiaries who attended the meeting expressed their appreciation for the update and the assurances given by the programme manager. They said that they had planned a national protest due to inadequate information, but they have now cancelled it after hearing from him. They also expressed their excitement over the new programme and its expanded scope.