Today, we will talk about the latest updates on Npower and Nasims news regarding payments.
There are important things to know for today, 15 October 2023.
Good News for NPower Beneficiaries
The Federal Ministry that looks after people has found the money that was missing. This money was supposed to help N-Power people. Mr. Akindele, who is in charge of N-Power, said they have the money now.
Big News: People in the N-Power program who haven’t been paid for eight months will get their money soon!
More on the NPower Program
Mr. Akindele also said Dr. Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, is working hard. She wants to fix problems in the N-Power program. One big problem was that some people didn’t get their monthly money. This was because of issues with a person who was supposed to pay them. But now, that money has been found.
The head of the program asks young people in Nigeria to wait a little more. The changes happening are for their good. The N-Power program will grow to help more young people. The President wants to end poverty in Nigeria, and the government is working hard to do that.
What You Need to Know About “Skill Up Nigeria” Replacing N-Power
The Nigerian government has introduced a new Social Empowerment Program called “Skill Up Nigeria”.
This new initiative is an expanded version of the N-Power program, which was temporarily suspended due to some irregularities.
The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, which announced this development, mentioned that this new initiative, often referred to as N-Power 3.0, aims to better serve Nigerians.
In a statement by the ministry spokesperson, Akindele Egbuwalo, he said that “Skill Up Nigeria” is a transformed and restructured version of N-Power. The goal of this new program is to target five million beneficiaries in the next 5 years.
Why N-Power Was Temporarily Suspended
N-Power was a National Social Investment Program of the previous administration in Nigeria. Introduced by the former president, Muhammadu Buhari in 2016, it aimed to tackle youth unemployment, reduce poverty, and promote social development.
Designed for unemployed graduates and non-graduates aged between 18 and 35, the program lasted for two years. During this period, beneficiaries were assigned government jobs in their respective states, receiving a monthly stipend of 30,000 naira.
Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, mentioned that a total of 960,000 people have benefited from N-Power since its inception. She noted that most beneficiaries from the earlier batches have already exited the program.
The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs found several inconsistencies within the N-Power program. For example, some beneficiaries, whose contracts had ended in 2022, were still in the program expecting payment.
Others were not reporting to their assigned jobs but still received payment, while some beneficiaries had other jobs yet still benefitted from the N-Power payments.
There were also issues with consultants holding onto beneficiary funds and not disbursing them, even after their contracts ended in March 2023.
To address these issues, the ministry decided to temporarily suspend the N-Power program and review its operations over the past year.
Introducing Skill Up Nigeria
While detailed information about “Skill Up Nigeria” or N-Power 3.0 is still unfolding, the ministry has hinted at what to expect.
The new initiative will introduce programs in various sectors, including education, health, works, agriculture, technology, fashion, entertainment, and other areas promoting skill development and job opportunities.
The age limit for beneficiaries has also been expanded to between 18 and 40 (previously, it was up to 35 years old).
The primary goal is to onboard 5 million beneficiaries in the next 5 years, aiming to add 1 million beneficiaries per year across both graduate and non-graduate categories
Source: Npower News