Npower beneficiaries plan to stage a two-day nationwide protest over the delay in the payment of their allowances by the federal government.
The planned protest was contained in a letter dated January 14, written to the inspector general of police, the Department of State Services (DSS), ministry of humanitarian affairs and other relevant agencies, demanding approval to embark on the planned nationwide protest scheduled for January 22 – 23, 2025.
In the letter signed by the Secretary of the National Association of Npower beneficiaries, Dr. Abdullahi Ibrahim, the aggrieved beneficiaries said the planned nationwide peaceful protest will be conducted across the 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory to demonstrate their anger over the delayed payment of their monthly allowances by the federal government.
When contacted, the Chairman of the association, Muhammad Abubakar, in an interview said the decision to embark on the nationwide peaceful protest came following the federal government’s failure to address their grievances.
Abubaker revealed that the association has made repeated appeals to the federal government to pay the beneficiaries, without receiving any positive response.
He further said the government engaged the beneficiaries since 2022, to serve in various capacities such as in schools, agencies and some ministries with a monthly stipend of N30, 000 for graduates and N10, 000 for non-graduates.
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“But after three months, their back was against the wall as they struggled every day to transport themselves to their primary place of assignment, some had to borrow money from friends to cater for their feeding and transportation to their places of work,” he stated.
Abubakar added that the monthly payment was part of the agreement signed between the federal government and the beneficiaries before the programme commenced.
However, in a recent interview on TVC on January 13, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Nantawe Yilwatda, disclosed that payments to the beneficiaries will commence as soon as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) concludes their investigations and President Tinubu gives the approval for the delayed payments to commence.
