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Tag: N-Power scheme

  • Pupils get 246 million Buhari’s meals, says Presidency

    Pupils get 246 million Buhari’s meals, says Presidency

    *Says more than 6m pupils in 20 states being fed daily

    *8 more states expected to be added in 2018

    *300,000 interest-free loans disbursed to artisans, traders

    *280,000 Nigerians benefit from Conditional Cash Transfer in 21 states

     

    The Presidency on Saturday disclosed that over 246 million (246,355,190) meals have been served to date to primary pupils across 20 states in the country.

    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Laolu Akande, said that the first meal under the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) was served in December 2016.

    According to him, the total figure is expected to reach 313,928,420 meals by the last week of February 2018.

    He said “Also, the School Feeding Programme now feeds 6,044,625 pupils in 33,981 public primary schools across 20 states.

    “More states are expected to be added to the programme this year. The NHGSFP plans to implement feeding in a total of 28 States, while it aims to link farmers to school feeding markets.

    “In the same vein, several milestones were recorded by the Buhari administration’s National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) in 2017, in line with its inclusive growth plan, which includes tackling poverty and hunger, and creating jobs for Nigerians.

    “About 40,000 direct jobs have since been created from the School Feeding Programme across the participating states. The 20 states that have so far been covered by the NHGSFP include Anambra, Enugu, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ebonyi, Zamfara, Delta, Abia, Benue, Plateau, Bauchi, Taraba, Kaduna, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Imo, Jigawa, Niger, and Kano.

    “Also, in 2017, the school feeding programme collaborated with the Federal Ministry of Health to deliver an integrated deworming programme for pupils in all public primary schools classes 1 to 6 across 17 states nationwide.

    “Meanwhile, the School Feeding programme now has a social media-based quality assurance tracking system, #TrackWithUs, ensuring that required standards for menu for pupils and meal distribution are adhered to across the states in a transparent manner.

    Read Also: Buhari not a murderer, says Presidency

    “Similarly, the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) has so far recorded over 280,000 beneficiaries in 21 states, while about 300,000 Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme (GEEP) micro-credit, interest-free loans have been disbursed nationwide.

    “In the same vein, in 2017, the N-power scheme, which is targeted at providing jobs for unemployed young graduates, started its physical verification process for the 2017 applicants. In 2018, more beneficiaries are expected to be added to about 200,000 young graduates currently employed under the scheme.” he said

    Noting that a total of N900 billion was appropriated for the SIPs in 2016 and 2017; he said that N500 billion was appropriated in 2016 and N400 billion appropriated in 2017.

    He however, said that the total amount released was N110 billion for 2016 and 2017, while the total expenditure was N109 billion.

    He added “Below is a breakdown of the N109 billion released between October 2016 and November 2017 for the SIPs, namely: GEEP, CCT, NHGSFP, N-power, and general expenditure.

    “The GEEP expenditure was N11,700,200,466, while the CCT gulped N5,235,401,087.

    “In the same vein, between October 2016 and November 2017, N22,370,719,017 was expended for the Home-grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP); while N69,731,256,122 was expended on N-power, which is the Job Creation component of the SIP, during the same period.” he said

     

     

     

  • N-Power money is for work done, Buhari tells volunteers

    N-Power money is for work done, Buhari tells volunteers

    President Muhammadu Buhari has reminded volunteers in the N-power scheme that the financial benefits they receive from the programme “is money paid for work done”.

    Mr. Afolabi Imoukhuede, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation said this when the scheme’s assessment and evaluation team paid a courtesy visit to the Kano State governor Abdullahi Ganduje on Wednesday night.

    He said: “There is a message that Mr. President has asked us to pass in every state we visit.

    “It is that please this is money paid for work done; this is an investment in their lives.

    “And this is an investment that, for the first time in many years, is going directly to the beneficiaries and not through any third party, not through any gateway.’’

    According to the presidential aide in Kano no fewer than 1,200 volunteers are being paid stipends earlier in the year.

    Imokhuede said that as at April about N0.58 billion had entered into the state’s economy through the beneficiaries that were getting paid regularly.

    He said that at inception 25,600 applications were received from Kano State out of which about 11,000 were for graduate recruitment and about 13,000 applicants were non-graduates.

    He said Kano State was offered 4,900 placements in the first phase but noted that 3,868 of them were verified for payment by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBS).

    He said that the 13,000 non-graduate applicants in the state would be mobilized in batches as from May.

    Imokhuede noted that those graduates who scaled the verification besides getting their regular N30,000 monthly stipends would also receive the credit device facility under the scheme from June.

    “From June we will take delivery of the devices and shall tell them where to pick them up,’’ he said.

    He said that underscored the President’s message and urged the volunteers to work hard and take the programme seriously as the funds got to them directly.

    He said the scheme’s monitoring framework was in place and that defaulters would not only be delisted but also penalized.

    Imoukhuede said the scheme would soon resolve all payment challenges of Kano volunteers adding that once resolved all their stipend backlog would be settled.

    He said that the growth of the economy led to the job creation scheme adding that what the president had done with the N-power was a lifeline to unemployed youths and not an end in itself.

    “It is a lifeline because it is a paid volunteer programme for 24 months to enhance their employability through being deployed to community schools, farms and health programmes,’’ he said.

    The presidential aide said the appeal that Kano be given special consideration due to its population was noted by the presidency and gave the assurance that it would be considered when the portal reopens in June.

    Responding, Ganduje said the scheme was the best thing that had happened to the economy of the country in recent times.

    The governor said that N-Power was capable of reviving the economy but advised that a template for its sustenance be created for it not to fail.

    He urged the youths to recognize that the benefits they derived came from President Buhari and that they imbibed the discipline of the president in order to move the country forward.

    The Senior Special Assistant on Special Intervention Programmes in Kano, Hajiya Aisha Jafaru, noted that the success of the N-Power scheme in the state was heartwarming.

    She, however, urged the Presidency to increase the number of volunteer recruits in the state and also resolve the issue of unpaid stipends to about 632 volunteers.

     

  • N-Power Scheme: Buhari assures enrollees in Ogun, others of all stipends

    N-Power Scheme: Buhari assures enrollees in Ogun, others of all stipends

    President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the enrollees of the Federal Government’s N – Power Volunteer Corps in Ogun and other states of the federation that have issues over non – payment of monthly stipends to be calm as they would be paid their arrears soon.

    N- Power programme of the Buhari’s administration, is designed to engage and train young unemployed graduates in teaching, agriculture and health among others as part of measure to tackle youth unemployment.

    Buhari said the problem of one not being paid stipend is not with the scheme or the government but the enrollees themselves who provided information that proved problematic to process, verify and act upon.

    The President who made this known in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, at an interactive workshop with N – Power monitoring team in the state, said of the 5,152 successful enrollees in Ogun State, 4,326 of them “have no payment issue” while the rest 836 others have problems because of the information they provided.

    The workshop was organised by the Ogun State government in collaboration with National Social Investment Office, Abuja.

    Buhari who was represented at the event  by his Senior Special Adviser on Jobs Creation and Youth Empowerment, Afolabi Imokhuede, said N6bn is spent monthly on stipends for the 200,000 Nigerian youths already enrolled on  the N – Power scheme.

    “You are the originator of your problem and that is why some of you have not been paid. It is not the making of the state government or other partners. You have yourself to blame for not following instruction and filling your information properly. Some of you came late for verification.

    “Some filled information about themselves that are problematic and not in sync. So, there is need to revalidate records but whatever be the case, your arrears or months you were not paid will be cleared once the  data you supplied are verified and rectified,” he said.

    He however advised the enrollees to take the scheme serious as it is about them to become productive and income earning members of the society upon graduation from the 24-month programme.

  • 350,000 graduates to get jobs under N-Power scheme

    No fewer than 350,000 graduates are to be employed this year under the N-Power Volunteer Corps, the Presidency disclosed last night.

    The scheme is part of the Social Investment Programmes (SIP) introduced by President Muhammadu Buhari administration to reduce unemployment.

    According to a statement by Laolu Akande, the spokesman to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, President Buhari has requested for the appropriation of N157.75 billion in this year’s budget estimates for the N-Power scheme.

    “The N-Power is just one of the many SIPs that has so far drawn the interest and praise of Nigerians across board. A lot more is to come, especially this year”, Akande said in the statement.

    The statement urged Nigerians to take advantage of the different schemes.

    It went on: “Out of the N-Power 2017 N157 billion 2017 budget,  350,000 unemployed graduates more would be hired and trained, alongside 50,000 non-graduates youths to be engaged as artisans and in other creative ventures.

    “Under the N157.75B also, a sum of N4.5 billion has been earmarked for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programme to support young Nigerians in building skills in those disciplines.”

    Stressing that the SIPs’ budget proposals for 2017 are currently being discussed at the National Assembly, he urged Nigerians to expect more especially in the area of implementation as virtually all the SIPs are now undergoing different stages of implementation.

    “While we were able to engage 200,000 unemployed graduates last year, we will do 350,000 more this year,” he assured, adding that some of the teething problems are giving way to lessons that would smoothen implementation under the 2017 budget”, the statement said.

    The statement also disclosed that about N75 billion has been allocated for the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme in the budget, which will provide one meal a day to five million primary school pupils.

    It explained that it would be an improvement on how far the feeding programme has been implemented so far under the 2016 budget which has so far attained the feeding of about one million pupils.

    Also in the 2017 budget, N112.2 billion has been allocated for the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) aimed at providing interest-free loans to up to 1.2 million market men and women, traders, artisans, youths and farmers.

    Under the GEEP, beneficiaries will receive between N10, 000 and N100, 000 loans with a one-time five per cent administrative fee.

    More than 20,000 Nigerians in 14 states benefited from the GEEP in last year’s budget.

    “Similarly, the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) which has kicked off in nine states would be further expanded under last year’s budget and it will reach more states and much more Nigerians.

    “The target in the 2016 budget was one million poorest and vulnerable Nigerians. And in the 2017 budget an additional N54.98 billion been allocated for the continuation of the N5000 monthly social safety net payments to the poorest Nigerians”, the statement added

    President Buhari has approved another N500 billion this year for all the SIPs, out of which N100 billion has been allocated for the Family Homes Fund, which was announced by the Ministry of Finance.

  • Coordinator: Lagos leads others in N-Power scheme

    The N-Power Prog-ramme will become “fully operational” in Lagos State by the end of this month, its Coordinator, Mrs Shola Falana, has said.

    Members of the House of Assembly invited her on Tuesday to brief them on the scheme following a petition alleging that beneficiaries were being denied their entitlements.

    But, the coordinator, who was with the commissioner of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs Lola Akande said Lagos has the highest number of applicants for the programme. This, she said, was responsible for its slow take off in the state.

    The N-Power was designed by the Federal Government to empower youths and the vulnerable in the country. It is part of the promises of President Muhammadu Buhari during his campaign in 2015.

    Responding to the lawmakers’ questions, Mrs Falana said the government has the final say on the programme.

    She said: “The scheme involves five programmes from the federal level, one of them is the N-Power. The screening and shortlisting of applicants were done at the federal level.

    “Lagos has the highest number of applicants and Alimosho leads in the state. Over 11,000 applicants were successful in the state. It was as a result of this that we had a delay. By the grace of God, before the end of January, we will start paying the successful applicants.

    “We shall also display the certificates of successful applicants and I promise to always acquaint members of the House on the other programmes of the scheme.”

    Deputy Majority Whip Omotayo Oduntan said it was unbelievable that she and her colleague from Alimosho, Bisi Yusuff, were not aware of such development in their constituencies.

    House Committee on Public Petitions chairman Adefunmilayo Tejuosho said members should be carried along on the scheme’s activities.

    But Housing Committee chairman lbrahim Layode disagreed with his colleagues, saying: “The coordinator has informed us that it was a decision ratified at the federal level, we shouldn’t blame her. Instead, let’s liaise with our representatives at the federal level to brief us on how those names were selected.”

    Speaker Mudashiru Obasa told Falana to ensure that the state is not short-changed adding: “Also, do everything possible to ensure that our people are paid both the December and January stipends.”

    He directed the coordinator to send the list of the successful applicants to the House because information indicates that “many of those shortlisted are non-indigenes of the state.”

  • Fed Govt to employ 500,000 graduates through N-Power scheme

    Fed Govt to employ 500,000 graduates through N-Power scheme

    The Federal Government will employ 500,000 graduates through the N-Power scheme of the Nigeria Social Investment Programme (NSIP), Special Adviser to the President on NSIP, Mrs Mariam Uwais, said in Benin, yesterday.

    Speaking at an NSIP’s Stakeholders Sensitisation Workshop, Mrs Uwais said “we intend to employ 500,000 graduates this first year. It is open to unemployed graduates between the ages of 18 and 35. All you need to do is to go on to the portal that has been opened, and it closes on August 31. The portal is www.npower.gov.ng”.

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State praised President Muhummadu Buhari for initiating the programme to aid the less privileged.

    Governor Oshiomhole said: “Let me, on behalf of the government and people of Edo State, appreciate our President for making history in appropriating funds directed at children of the poor in public schools by way of one meal a day for children from primary 1 to 3, recognising that whereas many Nigerians are poor, some are poorer than others, and that it is not their fault.

    “Government has responsibility to identify those ones, the poorest of the poor, not to shed crocodile tears for them or with them, but to boldly appropriate public funds structured in a way to deliver relief to these categories of our people.”

    He said: “For too long, everybody laments the rising unemployed youths, and in this democracy, the youth are the most active, they are the most vibrant. Everybody says youths are leaders of tomorrow, but we are unable to define when is tomorrow. I believe President Muhammadu Buhari has defined tomorrow to mean today, and that government needs to demonstrate beyond rhetoric that not only do we reject youth idleness, but government has created a scheme to enable some youths to be engaged, including being engaged in teaching, being encouraged to acquire skills, and to make them what they should be: part of our human resource which is the most important resource any country needs to grow on a sustainable basis.”