Hajiya Halima Shehu Delivers on Promise, As FG Pays N24 Billion to Npower Beneficiaries

The federal government has finally paid the arrears of Npower beneficiaries, who have been waiting for months to receive their stipends.

The payment was facilitated by the National Coordinator of Social Investment Programs Hajiya Halima Shehu through the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

Npower is a social intervention scheme initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016, to address the problem of youth unemployment and enhance social development. The scheme has six categories: N-Teach, N-Health, N-Agro, N-Build, N-Creative and N-Tech. The beneficiaries are paid a monthly stipend of N30,000.

However, the scheme has been plagued by delays and irregularities in the payment of stipends, leaving many beneficiaries frustrated and aggrieved. Some beneficiaries claimed that they have not been paid since March 2023, and staged protests and petitions to demand their entitlements.

The situation changed when Hajiya Halima Shehu was appointed as the new National Coordinator of Social Investment Programs in June 2021.

She vowed to address the operational challenges and deliver life-transforming interventions.

She also spearheaded the digitization of the payment process, ensuring that almost 2 million beneficiaries have debit cards, which they use for all transactions.

On Monday, December 18, 2023, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs announced that the federal government has approved the payment of all arrears of Npower beneficiaries, totaling N24 billion.

The ministry said that the payment will be done in batches, starting from the oldest to the newest beneficiaries.

The ministry also urged the beneficiaries to be patient and cooperate with the payment agents, as they verify their details and process their payments.

The beneficiaries expressed their joy and gratitude to the federal government and the National Coordinator of Social Investment Programs Hajiya Halima Shehu for fulfilling their promise and alleviating their plight.

They also appealed to the government to provide them with more opportunities for empowerment and employment after the completion of the scheme.

Comments

Aisha Garba’s Bold Vision for Transforming Basic Education in Nigeria

By Suhaib Auwal In a country where the foundational pillars of education have long been riddled with structural gaps, funding constraints, and policy inconsistencies, the recent leadership at the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) signals a renewed hope. Since her appointment as the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Aisha Garba has embarked on a reformist mission that seeks not just to address the surface-level symptoms, but to cure the systemic ailments crippling Nigeria’s basic education sector. At the core of her vision is a comprehensive, inclusive, and technology-driven approach to strengthening basic education delivery. Her leadership style is not only proactive, but it also reflects a deep understanding of Nigeria's complex educational terrain. With over 17 million children currently out of school, Garba has made it unequivocally clear: this figure is unacceptable, and she intends to drastically reduce it within the shortest possible time. A Three-Pronged V...

Kwankwasiyya Rubble-Rousing Short-Wave Politics

By Aliyu Dalhatu Adamu Department of Sociology, Federal University of Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State. The construction of 85km rural roads was flagged-off by the Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, on Monday 17th June 2024 at Madobi Local Government. The occasion afforded Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 elections, an opportunity to ventilate his feelings on the forces in political contest in Kano State. Many people believe that Kano is suffering great abuse in the tight grief of Kwankwaso as an alternate, if not the real, governor in his illegal Third Term. In his emotional outburst, the former Presidential candidate alluded to a number of issues, which many see as pointers to the inner workings of his mind, suggesting his political fortunes in the State are nose-diving or in the least taking a big hit. For instance, from the vituperations of Kwankwaso, one can easily understand that, the NNPP, as...

Barr. Ismaeel Idris Strengthens Ties with Youth Ministry, Amid Calls for House of Reps Run

By Suhaib Auwal The APC Kano bigwig Barr. Ismaeel Idris, paid a courtesy visit to the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development at his office in Abuja on Monday, as part of efforts to strengthen collaboration towards improving the lives of young people in Northern Nigeria. The high-level meeting focused on strategic initiatives aimed at empowering youth, particularly in Kano State and Kumbotso Local Government Area. Both leaders expressed a shared commitment to addressing the pressing challenges facing young people in the region, including unemployment, limited access to education, and the need for greater community-based programs. Speaking after the meeting, Barr. Ismaeel emphasized the importance of partnerships between government agencies to deliver tangible results. “This is a critical time for our youth. We must go beyond policy and move into practical actions that will uplift and transform lives, especially in communities like Kumbotso where the youth ...

Politics 24

Search This Blog