The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, has made a startling revelation regarding the Npower programme. During an interview with Arise TV on Monday, the minister disclosed that the current administration has uncovered some suspicious beneficiaries on the Npower payment list.
Edu emphasized that the Npower payment list contains the names of individuals who should not be included in the programme. However, she assured the public that the ministry is diligently working to rectify all the loopholes hindering the success of this vital social intervention scheme.
“First of all, when we assumed office, we discovered several issues with the Npower programme, which prompted us to review the entire plan,” Edu explained. “One of these issues was the inclusion of individuals in the Npower programme beyond the allocated capacity.”
The minister continued, “We also observed that funds meant for Npower beneficiaries were not disbursed in a timely manner by the responsible managers. Furthermore, there were people on the payment list who should not be there and individuals who were not rendering any services but were receiving payments. Additionally, there were some individuals whose tenure with Npower had already expired, yet they still expected to receive payment.”
Edu further disclosed that a committee was promptly established to address these issues, led by the ministry’s secretary. The committee has already submitted its first report on the matter.
In addition to unveiling these concerns, Edu reiterated the commitment of the Tinubu administration to uplift Nigerians out of poverty. The government aims to alleviate poverty for at least 133 million Nigerians by 2030, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. Furthermore, the administration hopes to remove 20 million Nigerians from poverty by next year.
“Our poverty alleviation efforts target a minimum of 133 million Nigerians, in line with the SDGs we adopted at the United Nations,” Edu stated. “However, President Tinubu is deeply committed to improving the lives of Nigerians and eradicating poverty. It is important to note that we will not continue with the same old approaches while expecting different outcomes.”
Edu concluded, “We have various plans in motion, and we firmly believe that within the next year, we should be able to announce the uplifting of at least 20 million Nigerians out of poverty.”
