The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has disclosed that more than 70,000 ghost workers were fraudulently introduced into the Npower Scheme, leading to the diversion of millions of naira.
The anti-graft agency on Tuesday detained music star, Oladapo Oyebanji, popularly known as D’banj, over the alleged diversion of Npower funds in collaboration with some government officials. This is coming when N-power has been struggling to pay its beneficiaries, owing Batch C, Stream 2 up to three-month backlogs.
However, the legal representative of the legendary musician, the LAW CORRIDOR denied the allegations and urged the public not to get carried by the “media trial.
A statement which the Abuja-based law firm released to the media party read, “It is instructive to state foremost that the report concerning the arrest and detention of Mr. Daniel Oladapo Oyebanjo is misconceived, malicious and prejudicial to the justice system anywhere in the world and we would advise that the general public be well guided”.
The statement further stated that the musician has “no contractual or incidental relationship whatsoever with any group or persons within or outside government in relation to the disbursement, operations, access or control of the operation of any government fund through an agency or its subsidiaries”.
Investors King understands that Npower was established in 2016 as a federal government intervention programme to address the issue of youth unemployment. The scheme has a number of categories such as N-Power Teach, N-Power Tech, N-Power Agro, and N-Power Health. Beneficiaries are put on a monthly stipend of N30,000.
Speaking on the ghost N-power beneficiary, an insider source who spoke to Sahara Reporter noted that top government officials have been using the social intervention programmes to shipon public funds.
“70,000 names were infused into N-Power by officials of the Buhari regime in the last four years.
“The fake list costs Nigeria N2.1 billion per year while original N-Power candidates are left unpaid,” the source added.