It is no longer news that batches A and B of Npower have been at face off with the Hon Minister, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq in charge of Npower over her pronouncement that the said batches would be exited the scheme by 30th June, 2020 and 30th July 2020 respectively.
The beneficiaries who have been assured of “enhancement scheme” from the abinitio of the programme are crying woes that it is “inhumane and injustice” for the Minister to exit the beneficiaries without brief on enhancement scheme which is to give continuous means of livelihood.
The Beneficiaries in what seems to be a rejoinder to purported group praising Minister’s action, the volunteers in the 36 states of the Federation including FCT accused the Minister of sponsoring unfounded news in the median to buttress her illegal and inhumane action of sacking about 500,000 Nigerians.
The Npower beneficiaries gave three days to the mentioned purported group to come out with their identity if they are really existing.
The full details of the rejoinder reads;
“The 36 States and FCT N-Power Representatives Forum, and the nearly 500,000 N-POWER Volunteers were shocked on Tuesday, 23rd of June, 2020 to read a sponsored publication in Leadership Newspaper, The Sun Newspaper, Tribune Newspaper and Punch Newspaper, where a paid and hurriedly packaged “two hungry men” forum tried unreasonably to justify the barbaric, inhumane and wicked acts that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has meted on N-POWER Volunteers in Nigeria.
This non-existing group came out to praise “Madam Disaster” for refusing to pay over 80,000 volunteers since the month of March, 2020 till date.
They tried to justify the fact that it is proper to deny over 300,000 volunteers their devices/phones.
The brainless signatories to that letter forgot how over 100,000 N-Power volunteers across NIGERIA (led by the 36 States & FCT Representatives and Mr Afolabi Imoukhuede) participated in the RAVE FOR BUHARI show on the streets of Abuja and the Old Parade Ground, in February 2019.
This same paid group forgot the recognition received by our noble forum through the Chairman of Focal Persons Forum (Mr. Bala Usman Chamo) in Jagawa State, in November 2019.
The same group who are likely paid by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to shut the 36 States and FCT N-Power Representatives’ Forum who are the mouthpiece of 500,000 graduate category of N-Power Beneficiaries nationwide.
The same group claimed ignorant of the accolades the 36 States and FCT N-Power Representatives recently received from The Concerned Npower beneficiaries nationwide.
Just because their pockets have been ladden with money, they could not remember the numerous promises made to us that “the job we seek is in our voters card”* , and “we shall not go back to the streets”.
The paid writers have indirectly assured the Minister that the unemployed graduate Nigerian youths of N-POWER batches A and B are toothless bulldogs who are good at noisemaking. As such, the backlogs being owed both batches of Volunteers should not be sorted out and paid.
We want to challenge the sponsored group, if truly you are existing to publicise your names with phone number, PPA, LGA, State and your forum social media handle within 3 days from this publication. Otherwise, we will conclude that it is truly a sponsored publication by the Honourable Minister of Disaster Management or the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.
In the midst of covid-19 when other countries are helping their citizens in various ways, NIGERIA is increasing the rate of joblessness, hunger and poverty without anything to fall back on, and some persons are clapping for that.
We, the 36 States and FCT Representatives’ Forum believed that Hon. Minister Sadiya Farouq would have given proper explanation on the transitioning process before laying off beneficiaries.
As it stands, even the Minister does not have knowledge or plan of what would be done next.
We have no issues with the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs as she remains our mother, but all we’re saying is – give us more explanation on the transitioning because you’ve been working on this since you resumed office and have promised never to throw us back to the streets.
We also want to know the mode of payment and when will it commence? If the above questions can’t be answered, then laying off batch A & B before the transitioning is completed is not only unwise but fishy.
We want to state categorically that no form of paid intimidation or name smearing will stop us from speaking and agitating for the “used and dumped” N-POWER Volunteers.
N-POWER Volunteers are also citizens of Nigeria, our lives matter. We cannot breathe because of the inhumane treatment by Hajia Sadiya Farouq””
Signed
[ Nat.Media Team ]
( 36 States and FCT N-Power Representatives Forum)
25th June, 2020.
