By Usman Sulyman
The enrolment exercise for a new group, Batch C of N-Power beneficiaries is to begin on June 26, the Federal Government has announced on Friday.
The government said the online portal for the programme would be open for applications from noon on June 26, adding that all applicants must supply their Bank Verification Numbers for transparency.
The N-Power programme was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016 under the National Social Investment Programme.
The aim of the programme, according to the Presidency, was to lift citizens out of poverty through capacity building, investment and direct support.
In his Democracy Day broadcast on June 12, the President commended the programme, noting that the government’s social investment programme had continued to be a model to other nations.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development said the commencement of the Batch C enrolment was sequel to consultations.
It said on Friday that the move was following a review of the submissions on the reform and realignment of the programme for greater efficiency.
“Batch C is also being enrolled to provide opportunities for more youths to access the programme in furtherance of the President’s vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by creating opportunities to enhance the productivity of youths for entrepreneurship”, the ministry said in a statement issued in Abuja.
The ministry stated that in view of these, Batch A beneficiaries of the scheme would exit on June 30, 2020, while those in Batch B would exit the programme on July 31, 2020. It said past beneficiaries were not eligible to participate in Batch C.
Commenting on the development, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouq, said, “We have commenced the transitioning of beneficiaries from Batches A and B into government entrepreneurship schemes.
