NPower Affects Nigeria’s Economy
NPower scheme, which was ideally initiated by Buhari administration in 2016 to abate the continuous youth unemployment, often resulting in youth restiveness in Nigeria has, more or less, since the inception of President Bola Almed Tinubu administration been abandoned and jettisoned to oblivion despite the fact that Mr. President promised, with a concrete assurance during his electioneering campaign, to consolidate all the policies and programmes of his predecessor’s administration.
As precisely contained in his political party (APC) manifesto, Tinubu declared:
“We shall:
Expand the Buhari administration’s National Social Investment Program (N-SIP) under which the Federal Government’s job creation, social welfare and poverty alleviation programs: the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT); Government Enterprise and Empowerment (GEEP); Homegrown School Feeding (HGSF); and N-Power; are delivered to millions of Nigerians across the country. Through such programs, we are able to incentivise poorer families to make the fateful and correct decision to send their children to school. This will provide these children a chance at formal education previously closed to them. By helping them, we make society better, not only more educated but more compassionate as well. Social programs initiated by the Buhari administration like cash transfers to the poorest, school feeding, and economic empowerment programs illustrate the spirit of progressive governance. The regressive elite and powerful entrenched interests argued that such programs could not or should not be established. Thankfully, the administration did not adhere to the narrow view of these vested interests. As a result, millions of people have been pulled from abject poverty. Apart from the material assistance, they have been given hope for a better life. Tinubu government will expand existing programs and introduce new social investment policies to create jobs and business opportunities, particularly for youth and women.
“We shall also:
(i) Provide conditional income support to very poor households. In exchange, recipients will be required to meet key human capital development goals like school attendance, healthcare and nutrition. (ii) Provide unconditional income support to elderly, extremely poor and disabled persons. (iii) Create new job opportunities for young Nigerians from poor and underprivileged backgrounds. These investment programs will improve business productivity, widen access to affordable finance and capital markets and expand businesses such that beneficiaries can offer employment to others. Recipients shall receive high quality, low-cost business development support services. These programs and initiatives will give priority access to persons with disabilities, women and young people. We will partner with existing industry players, many of whom, through their use of cutting edge fintech products, have already created phenomenal success with little to no government support to expand access to capital for MSMEs across the country. Social Investments Programs Introduce new social investment programs supporting the development of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) particularly among the poor. Out-of-School Children Raise to the highest priority the growing problem of out of school children throughout the country. Ending this problem will give tens of thousands of children a chance at an education they
otherwise would have foregone. This will also reduce the numbers of disaffected youth who might fall prey to recruitment by terrorist and other violent groups. A task force headed by a special czar will be created to address this problem. They will be tasked with reviewing and strengthening the scope of measures such as the school feeding programme established to keep at-risk children in school. Out-of-School Children Raise to the highest priority the growing problem of out of school children throughout the country. Ending this problem will give tens of thousands of children a chance at an education they otherwise would have foregone. This will also reduce the numbers of disaffected youth who might fall prey to recruitment by terrorist and other violent groups. A task force headed by a special czar will be created to address this problem. They will be tasked with reviewing and strengthening the scope of measures such as the school feeding programme established to keep at-risk children in school.”
Speaking at the APC South-East grand finale rally in Owerri in 2023, Tinubu said that the Peoples Democratic Party refused to move the country forward when they held the chance.
“Buhari’s eight year reign was a retooling process, adding that he would invest in education, build infrastructure and be prudent, should he be elected as the next president.
“PDP stole Nigeria’s treasure. President Buhari’s eight years is a retooling process. PDP are liars. We will continue with developmental programmes of APC, it will not stop. Imo is the destination for tourism; we will add value to real estate in Imo state, invest in education, build and reconstruct your roads in Imo. No more issue of ASUU strike. We will be prudent and manage revenue generation capacity, we will bring peace, we will work with the state to ensure security” Tinubu said.
As it is now, this particular promise has seemed to be a political gimmick always experienced in the Nigerian political system. All the beneficiaries of the NPower programme, particularly those of Batch C (Stream II) have been therefore adversely affected and are grumbling about it, thereby apportioning blame to Mr. President and the National Assembly as their 9 months stipends have not been paid yet.
It was on this background that they threatened and agitated to embark on a mass protest billed to hold in December 2023, but was hampered by Tinubu’s order to pay them part of the arrears. Based on this order by Mr. President, the managers of NASIMS made sure that each of the beneficiaries received up to three months payments by December 2023.
The National Assembly, on the other hand, candidly recommended a payment of ninety thousand naira (N90,000.00) as an exit package to each of the beneficiaries in addition to their arrears, to bring it to the total sum of N360,000.00, so that each of them would be able to set up a business of their own.
This advocacy by NASS showed justice and fairness among the members of NASS as the beneficiaries marveled at it and began to rejoice, even though it has not yet been approved by the Presidency. Consequently, most of the NPower beneficiaries have drawn different entrepreneurial blueprints, which if executed, would have allowed for the production of goods and services in the country as some of them would have engaged in different areas of specialization for production of commodities, even agricultural produce (food stuff), which is now very scarce in the country, but financial constraints seemed to be a barrier attributable to the nonpayment of the NPower arrears. It is worthy to note that many of the beneficiaries are graduates with profound skills and acumen that can help improve the economic situation in Nigeria.
Services and innovations by these beneficiaries, which should have made tremendously positive impacts on the nation’s economy if the payments had been made to the beneficiaries for them to execute their business plans and ideas, must be put in place. An average Nigerian would have benefited from their services and innovations.
Unemployment rate which is at alarming rate in the country would have been drastically reduced if those beneficiaries had been paid the NASS-recommended sum of money, which is enough for them to set up their ventures, as most of them must have done so and employed others, thereby becoming employers of labour.
The disastrous “End-Bad-Governance” protest by Nigerian youths wouldn’t have taken place as majority of the youths are the NPower beneficiaries, who are still being owed their stipends by the Federal Government. It is common knowledge that if the beneficiaries had been paid their arrears, they must have discouraged other youths plotting to embark on the one-week protest. They could have even boycott it, and it wouldn’t have held. It should be recalled that the protest lavished lives and properties.
Poverty level would have been mitigated as those beneficiaries, if having been paid and have embarked on investments, would have been earning enough income to fend for themselves and their families, as they have achieved economic or financial independence.
