The N-Power initiative has been suspended indefinitely, according to the federal government.
The declaration was made by Betta Edu, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, on a TVC news show on Saturday.
She said that the scheme’s anomalies were what led to the decision, saying that the government had started an investigation into how the money was used ever since the program started.
The Minister noted that even though some of the beneficiaries are missing from their places of assignment, they nevertheless anticipate receiving monthly stipends.
She claims that some of the beneficiaries who were supposed to have left the program in 2022 are still making payments.
“We must go back and examine N-Power in order to identify the issues, therefore we will essentially halt the program for the time being until we have completed an accurate inquiry into the application of funds to the N-Power initiative, she added.
“We want to know how many people are essentially enrolled in the program at this time, how many people are owing money, and how much money they are owed. We are completely expanding and overhauling the N-Power.
Many things are happening. We encountered individuals who were supposed to have graduated from the program since last year but who continue to maintain that they are still lecturers.
When we call the school or the places where they work, they are occasionally not there. Even though they are not employed, they continue to insist that they are due an eight or nine month stipend.
“About 80 percent of them are not working yet they are claiming salaries” .
To address the problem of youth unemployment and promote social development, the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari introduced the N-Power Program.