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Minister Betta Edu Vows to Overhaul NPower Program and Eradicate Poverty

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Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, has revealed a series of challenges plaguing the NPower program, vowing to overhaul the initiative to ensure it fulfills its mission of alleviating poverty for millions of Nigerians.

During the Arise TV interview, Minister Edu expressed her commitment to transforming the NPower program and addressing its longstanding issues.

She explained that the NPower payment list contains the names of individuals who should not be part of the program, revealing the gravity of the problems that her ministry is actively working to rectify.

“First of all, when we came onboard, we found lots of issues with the NPower program that made us re-engage the entire plan,” Edu stated. “One of the things was that there were persons registered on the NPower beyond the envelope that was provided for the program.”

The revelation of individuals beyond the program’s intended scope raises questions about the program’s effectiveness in targeting those most in need of assistance.

Edu further highlighted financial mismanagement as a critical issue affecting NPower beneficiaries. “Funds were released for payment for people under NPower, and they were not paid in a timely manner by the managers of the funds of the NPower beneficiaries,” she declared.

This mismanagement of funds not only hinders the program’s ability to provide timely support but also undermines the trust of beneficiaries in the system.

Perhaps the most concerning aspect disclosed by the minister is the inclusion of individuals on the payment list who should not be there and those who do not contribute to the program despite receiving payments.

Edu said, “There were also people who were on the payment list who are not supposed to be there, and there are persons who are there but are not providing any services but have been enrolled to have payment.”

Such irregularities in the program’s implementation not only waste resources but also deprive those genuinely in need of the support they require.

Also, Edu acknowledged the issue of individuals who had surpassed their allotted time with the NPower program but still expected to receive payments. She referred to this as an “exit plan,” which has led to continued financial obligations that the program may not be able to sustain.

To address these pressing concerns, Minister Edu disclosed that a committee has been established to scrutinize and provide recommendations for improving the NPower program. The committee, headed by the secretary of the ministry, is expected to propose reforms based on its findings.

Minister Edu’s commitment to reforming the NPower program aligns with the broader goal of President Tinubu’s administration to uplift 133 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030, in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

She declared, “For poverty alleviation, we are targeting at least 133 million Nigerians between now and 2030, which is in line with the SDGs that we signed at the United Nations.”

However, Edu emphasized that the government is not content with maintaining the status quo.

“The difference here is that we are not going to continue doing things the same way and expect different results,” she affirmed.

“There are different plans we are working on, and we believe very strongly that by the next one year, we should be able to say that at least we have removed 20 million Nigerians out of poverty.”

The commitment to addressing the NPower program’s flaws and the ambitious goal of poverty eradication signal a new direction in the fight against poverty in Nigeria, one that aims to be more efficient, transparent, and impactful for the nation’s most vulnerable citizens.

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Education

NCC Confiscates ₦23 Million Worth of Pirated Books During Bookstores Raid In Uyo

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The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) on Saturday, November 2, confiscated ₦23.1 million in pirated books from local shops, including Academic Needs and Zion Bookshop during a raid in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

The raid was by the Deputy Director of Operations, Mr Macfoy Akachukwu, representing the NCC Director General, Dr. John Asein.

Akachukwu, who stated that the raid was a significant operation to combat the rampant sale of pirated books, listed the books seized during the raid to include: Basic Civic Education by Dr Merry Ukaegbu, Spectrum New Further Mathematics by T.R. Moses and Essential Christian Religious Study for Senior Secondary Schools by Orovwuje B.O and Okolie E.U.

Other books included Macmillan Brilliant English for Junior Secondary Schools by Wale Ossianwo, New General Basic Science for Junior Secondary Schools by S. Ajayi, New Oxford Secondary English Course for Secondary Schools by Ayo Banjo and New Concept Mathematics for Senior Secondary Schools by H.N. Odogwu among others.

Major publishers affected by the raid included Evans, UPL, Lantern, Longman, TONAD, and Pearson among others.

According to Asein, the operation is important as it was part of a nationwide initiative to protect authors’ rights.

“What we have done is part of the commissions mandate to protect and promote the rights of authors and other genuine investors in the copyright book industry,” he stated.

He reaffirmed that the NCC is committed to “eliminating the sale of pirated works and to establish a robust copyright framework in Nigeria”.

Asein emphasized that authors deserve to benefit from their creative work and not run into financial losses because of piracy.

“It is our duty to ensure that authors get rewards for their creative work. I have under my watch, zero tolerance for piracy and infringement of Copyright Laws,” Asein said.

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Strike: Academic Activities Remain Grounded As NASU, FG Clash Over Half Salary Payment

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While the Federal Government and the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) continue to engage in discussions to end the ongoing strike, academic activities in the country have remained grounded leaving students in frustration.

Investors King in an earlier report detailed that the academic bodies directed its members to commence a nationwide indefinite strike from Monday over the nonpayment of four months withheld salaries.

The leaders of the two unions announced that the strike would start on Sunday, October 27, 2024.

JAC, in a circular to all branch chairmen of NASU and SSANU in the universities and inter-university centres, with the title: ‘Latest development in respect of the withheld four (4) months salaries’, and signed by Prince Peters Adeyemi, General Secretary of NASU and Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, SSANU President, explained that the timing of the action was for effective co-ordination and for both unions to be on the same page.

After discussions with the unions, the FG through the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation on Saturday authorized a partial payment to the bodies and urged them to shelve the strike.

Reacting to this, JAC kicked against the FG’s approval of only one month out of the four months of withheld salaries.

The union officials, including SSANU National President, Mohammed Ibrahim, stated that the one-month salary is insufficient to meet their demands.

“Yes, they paid one month out of four months. We shall be meeting to appraise the situation, but not everyone has received their pay so far,” Ibrahim said.

The unions declared that the nationwide strike would continue until all demands are met and all withheld salaries paid.

JAC revealed that over 98 percent of union members across the country have complied with the strike.

Revealing the next step, Ibrahim said, “We plan to convene soon to determine further steps, and reaffirm our stance to remain on strike until the government fully addresses the salary backlog.”

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Atiku, Sheu Sani, SERAP, Amnesty International, Others Kick As FG Arraigns Minors For Joining #EndBadGovernance Protests

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Condemnations have trailed the arraignment of some distressed minors alongside adults who protested against bad governance and hunger in Nigeria.

The Federal Government dragged the peaceful protesters of the nationwide #EndBadGovernance including 32 minors before an Abuja Federal High Court on Friday.

However, there was panic within the courtroom when some of the minors collapsed during the arraignment.

The minors were arraigned for alleged treason by participating in August’s 10 days nationwide protests against hunger and bad governance.

It was gathered that the minors, who have been held by the Nigeria Police Force since August, were deprived of adequate care while in detention.

The incident occurred as they were being transported from various police detention cells, including those from the Intelligence Response Team (IRT).

No sooner than they arrived court premises that couple of the young lads lost consciousness inside the courtroom.

Sources claimed that they fainted due to maltreatment and lack of sufficient food for the days they were detained. They further alleged that authorities are using hunger as a form of torture against the young protesters for merely exercising their constitutional rights.

Photos and videos from the courtroom depicted the distressing scene, showing some teenagers writhing on the floor while others attempted to assist them.

One lawyer was captured trying to resuscitate a protester who collapsed in the dock.

The detention of the minors and other protesters was mandated by Justice Emeka Nwite, who approved an ex-parte application from the police to keep the minors in custody for 60 days as part of their investigation into the protests, which were aimed at addressing worsening insecurity and hardship attributed to President Bola Tinubu’s policies.

Condemning their arraignment and treatment, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, lambasted the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government over the illegal detention of malnourished minors.

Reacting to videos of the collapsed minors, Atiku, the former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections, said that Tinubu’s wickedness could not allow him to spare children who were protesting against his “harsh and draconian” policies in the country.

Atiku in a post on X said that the horrible scene of the collapsed malnourished minors in court is reminiscent of a Nazi concentration camp, which is a reflection of the low premium Tinubu-led government places on the lives of the vulnerable, especially children.

The former Vice President noted that it is reprehensible that President Tinubu who claims to have fought for Nigeria’s democracy and had led protests now demonises those who decide to demonstrate against the effects of his harsh and draconian policies.

Similarly, Shehu Sani, a former federal lawmaker from Kaduna State, expressed deep concerns over the detention of minors involved in the #EndBadGovernance protests.

Sani in a tweet on Friday questioned the justification behind their prolonged detention, saying there is no justification for the incarceration of the poor children.

He appealed to the Federal Government to set them free.

Also expressing outrage over the development, the Socio-Economic Rights And Accountability Project (SERAP) called for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained #EndBadGovernance protesters in prison and dropping of charges against them.

In a post on X handle, SERAP demanded that President Tinubu’s administration must promptly investigate the apparent ill-treatment of #EndBadGovernance protesters in prison and prosecute those responsible.

In the same vein, Omoyele Sowore, the convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, strongly condemned President Tinubu’s government for prosecuting minors who allegedly participated in the #EndBadGovernance protests.

Sowore, a former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, criticized the government for its “shameless” treatment of these malnourished minors, who he believes deserve access to free education and healthcare, rather than being put on trial for treason.

Joining in the condemnation, Amnesty International wondered the rationale behind the prosecution of children who demanded good governance, calling for their immediate release.

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