Tinubu Govt Suspends N-Power Program Suspended Indefinitely

The administration of President Bola Tinubu has put a halt to the N-Power program, a social intervention scheme that aims to provide jobs and skills to young Nigerians.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, announced the suspension on a TVC news program on Saturday.

She said the suspension was due to some irregularities and fraud within the scheme, adding that the government has launched an investigation into the use of funds since the program started.

She revealed that some of the beneficiaries are not working in their assigned places, yet they expect to receive monthly stipends. She also said that some of the beneficiaries should have graduated from the program since 2022, but they are still on the payroll.

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

“We want to know how many people are actually on the program right now, how many people are owed, and how much 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”.

The N-Power program was launched by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016 to address the issue of youth unemployment and help increase social development.

The program has two categories: N-Power Graduate and N-Power Non-Graduate. The N-Power Graduate category is for graduates who have completed their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and are unemployed.

 The N-Power Non-Graduate category is for young Nigerians who have basic skills and are willing to learn new ones. The beneficiaries receive a monthly stipend of N30,000 (about $31 now) for a period of two years.

The suspension of the N-Power program has sparked mixed reactions from Nigerians, especially the beneficiaries who depend on the stipends for their livelihoods.

Some have expressed disappointment and frustration over the decision, while others have called for transparency and accountability in the scheme. The Minister assured that the government is committed to improving the welfare of Nigerians and creating more opportunities for youth empowerment.

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