Npower News: Beneficiaries Laments Non-Payment of Stipend, Threaten to Embark on Strike

A few days to the end of the year, Npower batch C Stream 2 beneficiaries have lamented non-payment of stipend. They threaten to embark on a nationwide strike if the Federal Government fails to pay them.

Investors King earlier reported that Npower beneficiaries had bemoaned the Federal Government for not paying them their monthly stipend almost three months after they have resumed their various places of personal assignments (PPA). Npower batch C, Stream 2 began work in October 2022.

Speaking to the press, some beneficiaries urged the Federal Government to pay their stipends to enable them to buy food for Christmas and New Year celebrations.

“It is shameful and extremely painful our government has held on to our three months stipends without any explanation whatsoever 

“First of all, the NPower batch C2 beneficiaries were deployed in September but we were asked to resume at our place of primary assignment (PPA) on the 4th of October which we did, and since then, nothing has been done about our stipends. Meanwhile, we applied for the empowerment programme in 2020. 

“After so much delay. We were deployed two years after and still no payment. We are suffering and there are speculations that the minister said she has paid all the beneficiaries and does not owe anyone,” one of them told the media. 

Since the establishment of the Npower scheme in 2016, the scheme has been characterised by issues of non-payment or delayed stipends among other controversies. 

Recalled that D’banj was arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for allegedly fraudulently diverting hundreds of millions of naira earmarked by the Nigerian government for the N-Power project. ICPC alleged that more than 90,000 ghost workers were fraudulently drafted into the programme. 

This allegation has created a sort of panic among the Npower beneficiaries who fear that it could affect their monthly stipend or the continuation of the programme.