The President Bola Tinubu-led federal government has announced the indefinite suspension N-Power programme launched by former President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
The Herald recalls that the N-Power scheme addresses the issue of youth unemployment and helps increase social development.
Speaking in an interview on TVC News on Saturday, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Betta Edu announced the indefinite suspension of the program, adding that the government has begun an investigation into its activities.
She stated that the decision to suspend N-Power was due to some irregularities within the scheme, adding the government has launched an investigation into the utilization of funds since the inception of the program.
According to the Minister, some beneficiaries are not found in their place of assignment, yet they expect monthly stipends.
Edu claimed that some N-Power beneficiaries should have exited the program in 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 funds 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.”