N-Power Beneficiaries to Receive Stipends

The Federal Government has okayed the payment of stipends to the exited N-Power beneficiaries under the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP).

This was disclosed by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq in a statement released by the Minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Nneka Ikem Anibeze, on Thursday.

 “Approval has been given for the payment of the outstanding stipends for the exited N-Power Batches A and B beneficiaries.”

“The approval for payments for up to the month of June 2020 for the two (2) Batches has already been forwarded to the office of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) for final checks and payments,” Umar-Farouq said.

She said that the only outstanding approval waiting to be forwarded to the Accountant General of the Federation’s office was for the payment of July 2020 stipends for Batch B beneficiaries.

She also disclosed that about 14,000 beneficiaries that were omitted by the AGF office during the payment from March to June 2020 could be among those rejected by the GIPMIS payment platform due to discrepancies identified with their accounts as conveyed to the ministry by the AGF’s office.

“According to the report from the AGF’s office, any beneficiary receiving payment from other government payment platforms will be rejected by the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIPMIS). Hence their payment will be withheld.” she said

The Minister said that the ministry had requested the details of those affected and the reasons for their rejection from the AGF and promised to communicate that to the affected beneficiaries.

She said “The FMHADMSD has requested for details of those affected and the reasons for their rejection from AGF’s Office and has promised to communicate that to the affected beneficiaries. However, if the rejection was done in error, those affected should be rest assured that they will be paid all that is due to them as soon as the error is rectified by the AGF’s office.”

Umar-Farouq further explained that the Batches A and B N-Power beneficiaries knew from the beginning as they were informed that the programme was for 24 months, adding that the non-dis-engagement of Batch A beneficiaries after 24 months was done out of exigencies of the time.