The National Association of N-Power Beneficiaries has clarified its position to social commentator and activist, Mr. Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), insisting that N-Power was not a grant programme but an engagement under which beneficiaries worked for the stipends now being demanded.
The beneficiaries’ position followed VDM’s recent decision not to intervene in the matter after he received their official appeal, based on his understanding that N-Power was similar to a grant and therefore a matter between the government and its beneficiaries.
But the beneficiaries insist that this understanding does not reflect the nature of the programme, stressing that the outstanding stipends are neither a grant nor a loan, but payments owed to beneficiaries for services already rendered.
According to the association, N-Power beneficiaries were formally onboarded, assigned to designated places of primary assignment and required to serve for a stipulated period.
Under the terms of the programme, beneficiaries were entitled to a monthly stipend of ₦30,000 throughout their service period.
The association said the beneficiaries were not simply applicants receiving financial assistance.
Rather, they were engaged to work and deployed to schools, health facilities, government institutions and other designated places, where they performed assigned duties during their service period.
The group therefore maintained that the government is not being asked to provide a fresh grant or welfare payment. Instead, it is being urged to settle outstanding obligations arising from work the beneficiaries say they have already performed.
The association consequently urged VDM to conduct further independent research into the N-Power programme and the circumstances surrounding the outstanding payments before reaching a final position on the matter.
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The association also offered to meet with him and present representatives who can provide relevant documents, explain the programme’s framework and respond to any questions regarding the beneficiaries’ claims.
The association said VDM’s reputation for demanding accountability and speaking for ordinary Nigerians makes it important for him to hear directly from those affected before reaching a conclusion on the matter.
While appreciating his advocacy on behalf of Nigerians, the beneficiaries appealed to him to give the N-Power controversy a second look and hear their side of the story.
“N-Power beneficiaries are not asking for a favour. They are asking for what they worked for,” they said.
