FG suspends N-Power program indefinitely, begins investigation

The Federal Government has announced that the N-Power program will be suspended indefinitely.

Betta Edu, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, made the statement on Saturday while appearing on a TVC news program.

She stated that the decision was prompted by certain inconsistencies in the scheme, saying that the government has been investigating the use of funds since the program’s inception.

According to the Minister, some of the beneficiaries are not found in their places of assignment yet demand monthly stipends.

Some of the beneficiaries, she claims, should have left the scheme by 2022 but are still on the payroll.

She said, “We must go back to look into N-Power and understand what the problems are so we will basically suspend the programe for now until we are done with proper investigation into the utilization of fund into the N-Power program.

“We want to know how many persons are basically on the program right now, how many persons are owed, amount they are owed. We are totally restructuring the N-Power and expanding it.

“There are lots going on. We met people who are supposed to have exited the program since last year and they are still on claiming that they are still teaching.

“Sometimes we contact the school or the places where they are working and they are not there. They are not working yet they keep claiming that they are being owed eight or nine months stipends.

“About 80 percent of them are not working yet they are claiming salaries”.

DAILY POST reports that N-Power Program was launched by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari to address the issue of youth unemployment and help increase social development.