N-POWER: FG Engages 450,000 Graduates Under N-Power Batch C, Stream 1

The Federal Government on Monday in Abuja gave engagement letters to 510,000 beneficiaries of the N-Power Batch C stream 1 across the country.

Among them were 450,000 selected under the graduate component, while 60,000 were selected under non-graduate scheme.

In her keynote address at the symbolic ceremony, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development congratulated the 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.

“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,” 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.

Mr 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, Dr 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 institutionalised 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,” Bindir said.

High points of the occasion was the presentation of engagement letters to the beneficiaries.