Hundreds of N-Power volunteers on Thursday in Abuja staged a protest over their unpaid stipends and sudden disengagement by the Nigerian Government without a substantial exit package.
The protesters besieged the National Assembly in large numbers chanting anti-government songs.
The volunteers are agitating for permanent employment or payment of the sum of N600,000 to each of them before disengagement.
They also demanded the removal of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Umar Farouk, for frustrating the programme.
The protesters, who came from 36 states of the country including Federal Capital Territory, also demanded payment of batch A and B beneficiaries until the transition was completed.
National President of the N-Power volunteers, Kabiru Aliyu Pelemi, said it would be a disaster for the country if the government pushed over 500,000 beneficiaries back into the labour market.
On his part, the FCT Coordinator of N-Power, Adeyeye Mojeed Adepoju, said many volunteers had not got their stipends for March, April, May and June.
The protesters after the submission of their letter to the leadership of the National Assembly, proceeded to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to register their demands.
Recall that the minister, Sadiya Umar Farouk, who is in charge of the N-Power programme, had sent a farewell message to the batch A and B volunteers ahead of their disengagement.
@Npower beneficiaries protest in Abuja over unpaid stipends, demand removal of @Sadiya_farouq pic.twitter.com/jm6ubgOoJ9
— Nwachukwu John Owen (@johnowen99) July 23, 2020
Recently. recruitment of the third batch of N-Power enrolees has so far received 4.48 million applications.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq made the announcement via her Twitter handle.
Farouq wrote; “My team and I continue to interface with stakeholders to ensure a successful transition for the @npower_ng. It has been 16 days since the portal opened and we have received 4.48 million applications to date”.
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