By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development, Sadiya Farouq, has said that the federal government has cleared all outstanding payments of N-power beneficiaries.
She said that the government will conclude new enrolments of one million beneficiaries under Batch C of the social investment programme.
Farouq said that her ministry encountered challenges with the government integrated financial management information system (GIFMIS) which caused the delay.
She explained that the accountant-general’s office identified that out of the 516,600 N-Power beneficiaries’ data it received in April, about 14,020 were not paid because their account details already exist in other ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
She, however, said that once the accountant general’s office had resolved the issue, the allowance would be released to those who were eligible.
Speaking at the workshop, the minister said: “I don’t think we still have the issue of N-Power backlog. We have sorted that out with the office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
“It has been a very tedious process but as at the last count, we have paid all the beneficiaries after the series of processes.
“N-Power is the job creation and economic component of the NSIP for young unemployed Nigerians. It has provided temporary income-generating opportunities for 500,000 unemployed youths of Batches A and B N-Power beneficiaries.”