Group Bemoans FG Plan to Suspend NPower

The Federal Government has been advised not to suspend the N-Power program or any other aspect of the Social Investment Programme by an organization called the ProActive Northern Initiative (PANI), which maintains that N-Power has created jobs and protected Northern youths from extremist ideology.

This was contained in a statement issued by The convener, Comrade Isa Aliyu Musa, who urged the government to quickly reverse its decision and invest in extending the N-Power initiative to give young people opportunity, promote good change, and ultimately advance the area.

“We emphatically repudiate the vilification of our respected northern leadership for whatever reason or justification. In this light, we deem the targeting of our leaders past and present, for vilification, systematic dehumanization, profiling, alienation, or any action that will render them an object of ridicule, not only immoral and illegal but also abhorrent to our sensibilities and ordinary decency and therefore unacceptable,” Musa stated.

The N-Power program, especially in the north, has helped many young Nigerians find work and chances for skill development, according to the group.

“N-Power is a social investment scheme set up by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016 under the supervision the then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and transferred in 2019 to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management under Sadiya Umar Farouq.

“As Minister, Farouk made several achievements. One of the key achievements of the ministry under her is the successful launch of the National Social Investment Program (NSIP) through which various social intervention programs are implemented. These programs include the N-Power program, the National Home-Grown School Feeding Program, Conditional Cash Transfer, and the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Program.

“Her tenure also saw significant progress made in other areas. For instance, the ministry worked to improve access to education for children affected by conflict and emergencies through its Safe School Initiative.”

“Additionally, the ministry launched a program aimed at addressing malnutrition among children under five years old. The program provided nutrition supplements and education on healthy feeding practices to mothers and caregivers. Another notable achievement of the ministry was the prompt intervention in supporting the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the northeast region. The ministry provided relief materials, food items, shelter, and non-food items to the IDPs. They also deployed humanitarian workers to provide psychosocial support to the affected individuals.”

“The Ministry was also able to leverage digital technology towards improving service delivery and ensuring transparency. The NSIP, for example, deployed technology to register and monitor beneficiaries to reduce fraud and improve the accountability of the intervention,” Musa recalled.

The Group lamented that the federal government had abruptly announced it would put the N-Power plan on indefinite hold while it conducted a full review and reorganization.

The group clarified that while it acknowledged the need to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in government programs, “we believe that the suspension of the N-Power program at this critical time will have adverse effects on the livelihoods of many young Nigerians who have come to rely on the program for their sustenance.”