The travails of the average N-power volunteer can not be overemphasized. From battling with difficult bosses and PPAs to dealing with missing or delayed stipends. It is clear that the Nigerian empowerment programme is not for the faint hearted. The minister in charge of the ministry of humanitarian affairs where Npower has been moved, Sadiya Umar Farouq , has just confirmed that about 12000 beneficiaries are being owed their monthly stipend. It is nor that she was willing to make this declaration as she had earlier said that all volunteers had been paid. However, the uproar on social media had become deafening.
It is quite sad that steps are only taken to improve or correct the situation of things in this country, only after overwhelming complaints have been reported across the media. More disheartening is the fact that sometimes, this doesn't work as well.
In the midst of all these, it has been announced that the first two batches of the program should get set to be exited so that a new batch can come in. But there are several questions that needs answers. Is a new batch at this moment the best idea? What about current volunteers with a backlog of no payments? Are the problems with the program already solved before a new batch is invited in? Is it fair that batch A volunteers spent 3years in the program and batch B can't? What about all the promises made by the government concerning a transition plan?
Speaking on Monday during the briefing by members of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the minister said, “As far as the ministry is concerned, we have paid N-Power beneficiaries that have been verified and recommended for payment. We have 500,000 N-Power volunteers.
“Those who are claiming that they have not been paid, we are looking into these issues with the Office of the Account General of the Federation.
It is disappointing that despite government's promises to provide device for the second batch of the program. No volunteer belonging to batch B has received their device. Why were batch A beneficiaries, given a device but there seems to be no hope for batch B? Will this batch be given their devices later? What is the transition plan for these volunteers? Are they returning to the society unemployed again? Has the N-power project truly fulfilled it's purpose? These and many more are the questions begging for answers before a new batch is signed on.
