The Applicants of the Batch C N-power Programme have begged the Federal Government to increase the N-power monthly Stipend from N30,000 to N50,000 in consideration of the current duration of the Programme and high cost of living.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development had stated that in addition to expanding the number of beneficiaries to 1 million (in two Streams of 500,000 beneficiaries each), the N-power Batch C Programme would last for 12 months, on a monthly Stipend of N30,000.
Reacting to the development, an applicant of the N-power Programme, Victor Okere pleaded with the Federal Government to increase the monthly Stipend N50,000 considering the 12 Months duration and high cost of living presently in the country.
Young Okere emphasised that the cost of living has trippled presently with the cost of items in the market increasing day-by-day.
Just in the voice of many of the applicants who commended the Federal Government for the expansion of the number of Batch C N-power beneficiaries up to 1 Million, Ngozi Bethel begged the Federal Government to balance the duration and cost of living with an increase in the monthly Stipend.
Some of applicants however expressed dissatisfaction on the reduction of the duration pointing out that the Batch A and B beneficiaries of the Programme spent at least two years in the programme from 2016 and 2018 respectively, before their disengagement in June/July, 2020, and on N30,000 monthly Stipend across their stay in the programme.
This is the second time Nigerians have called for the increment of the Monthly Stipend of the N-power Beneficiaries. In 2019, hope was heightened that increase in Minimum wage of Civil Servant would be bring about an increase in the N-power Monthly Stipend.
However, one of the then Anchors of the Programme and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation and Youth Employment, Mr Afolabi Imoukhuede clarified that the then beneficiaries should not expect a minimum wage balance on the Monthly Stipend, noting that the N-power Beneficiaries were not enshrined in the Civil Service Commission.
Other applicants of the Batch C N-power Programme on the other hand pleaded with the Federal Government to consider paying the N-power Beneficiaries in bulk sums, in such a way that can create a sustainable entrepreneural impact at end of their programme just like the CBN Intervention Loan Schemes, which would as a result aid in actualizing President Mohammadu Buhari’s intention of lifting millions of Nigerians out from poverty.
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