N-Power: We Can’t Afford To Continue Payment Of Beneficiaries – FG

The Federal Government has signalled that it cannot afford to continue paying beneficiaries of one of its social intervention schemes, N-power.

The N-power scheme which was established in 2016, is one of the national social investment programmes of the federal government targeted at unemployed graduates who are engaged by the government and paid N30,000 monthly stipend.

It would be recalled that the outgoing enrollees of the scheme Thursday protested at the National Assembly and the Federal Secretariat Complex to request the federal government to employ as well as pay them all a grant of N600,000 each.

The Ministry of Information and Culture, in its official Twitter handle on Friday, noted that it cannot afford to continue to pay the exited N-power beneficiaries stipends indefinitely, stating that it had expended hundreds of billions of naira on the programme during the last four years.

The ministry, however, said it was liaising with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) to ensure that any outstanding legitimate stipend is paid to the beneficiaries.

“It is noteworthy to state that @NigeriaGov has expended hundreds of billions to N-Power beneficiaries during the last 4 years and is liaising with the OAGF, which is responsible for the payment of their stipends, to ensure that any outstanding legitimate claim is settled,” the information ministry tweeted.

“FG Cannot Afford To Continue To Pay The Exited N-Power Beneficiaries Stipends Indefinitely.”