The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, failed to give out the Nigerian government back-up loans, known as N-Exit to the 500,000 disengaged Npower Scheme beneficiaries, SaharaReporters has learnt.
According to a source who spoke to SaharaReporters on Wednesday, about 14,000 beneficiaries of the scheme have also not been paid their stipends in the last five months.
The Farouq-headed Humanitarian Affairs Ministry launched the project to lift 100million Nigerians out of poverty but the beneficiaries of batches A and B were disengaged in 2016 and 2017.
The Minister, however, opened another portal to roll out loans to those affected but she has kept mute on the issue since she inaugurated it in May 2020.
The progamme by the Ministry in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria was aimed at providing economic opportunities to volunteers, as it was stated early this year that, “A Portal that will enable Exited N-Power Beneficiaries to apply for Central Bank of Nigeria Empowerment Options has been launched by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management.”
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one of the victims of the disengaged scheme lamented, “Npower Batch A and B who were engaged 2016 and 2017 respectively were disengaged since May 2020.
“While she launched another portal for exited Npower beneficiaries to apply for their exit package which the Federal government promised to give all the exited beneficiaries after serving for about three years.
“They are owing about 14,000 beneficiaries five months stipend but Sadiya Farouq keeps mute after making numerous promises without fulfillment while the 500,000 exited beneficiaries remained desperate for not getting loans promised while opening the portal.”
He stated further that detaching 500,000 youths from the scheme could be one of the reasons there is insecurity in the North, as jobless youths will resolve into criminalities to fend for themselves.
“Her mismanagement of the affairs with myopic thinking, abuse of the office she is heading and corruption that's running in her veins has contributed towards the growing insecurity situation in the North.
“The disengagement of Npower batch A and B beneficiaries might be responsible for the security challenges we are battling now. We say no to her false promises.
“Why would the federal government used and dumped us? How would it dump 500,000 law-abiding youths? We worked for it and we deserved to be given an exit package if at all the federal government can't employ us after they promised and later abandoned us.
“Afterall, we and our family members contributed much for the election that brought them, APC into power,” he said.
Confirming the situation to SaharaReporters on Wednesday, the National President of Exited NPower, Comrade Bashir Gobir said, “The Federal Government through Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has refused to fulfil this promise since June and July 2020 to date.
“I have received more than a hundred calls every day from the disengaged beneficiaries; the same thing on my WhatsApp. This is uncomfortable. Sadiya Faruq promised us loans but nothing has been heard about the issue. It’s over a year. It’s so sad this is coming from her office and the Nigerian government.”
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