N-Power: FG inaugurates 510,000 graduate, non-graduate volunteers

The Federal Government on Monday in Abuja inaugurated the 510,000 N-Power Batch C stream 1 across the country.

In her keynote address at the inauguration, Sadiya Umar Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development congratulated the successful beneficiaries.

She said the N-Power Batch C was divided into two streams; Stream C1 of 510,000 beneficiaries and stream C2 for 490,000 others.

According to her, under the Batch C1, a total of 450,000 had been selected to benefit under the graduate component, while 60,000 beneficiaries will be under the non-graduate component.

“Today, we are here to inaugurate the N-Power Batch C1. The N-Power graduate volunteers are entitled to a monthly stipend of thirty thousand naira each (N30,000.00) for a period of one year.

”The non-graduate beneficiaries are entitled to ten thousand naira (N10,000.000) monthly stipends for a period of nine months.

“All beneficiaries are granted an appropriate starter pack for their trade, to enable them start their businesses in their chosen trades. By the special grace of God, I hereby flag-off the N-Power Batch C1 for the 36 States and FCT,” Ms Farouq said.

She stressed that her Ministry was committed to ensuring that the strategic objectives of all the National Social Intervention Programmes (NSIP) were achieved in partnership with NYSC, UBEC, the NPHCDA, the NOA and many others.

Also speaking, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ifeoma Anyanwutaku, said since inception, the N-Power had been a tool to curb youth restiveness.

“It avails the Nigerian youths the opportunity to acquire skills, to enhance their lives, and even create employment for others.

”I have no doubt that the lessons learnt in the Batch A and B would be brought to bear in the Batch C, to achieve President Muhammadu’s Buhari vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.

“My Ministry is poised to contribute its quota to the success of the programme via public awareness and other interventions,” Mr Mohammed said.

Similarly, Edward Kallon, the UN Resident Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs, said the on-boarding of the N-Power Batch C stream 1 was another milestone achievement by the Federal Government towards lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of the NSIP, Umar Bindir, says since 1960, the different poverty alleviation programmes of the Federal Government had remained only at a programme level.

“But, President Buhari thought it wise to have a full fledged ministry to effectively address poverty, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past. He also institutionalized the NSIP in 2016.

“The NSIP have components such as N-Power, National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, Government Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Programme and Conditional Cash Transfer.

“All these are geared towards lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next ten years,” Mr Bindir said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event attracted officials from the office of the Head of the Federal Civil Service, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, National Youth Service Corps the Ministry of Women Affairs, Industry, Trade and Investment, Humanitarian Affairs, among others.

They all pledged their support to the humanitarian affairs ministry and the NSIP towards the achievement of the programme.

High points of the occasion was the presentation of engagement letters to the beneficiaries and cultural dance performance by the Unity Cultural Troupe

(NAN)