Date: 2020-07-08

Beneficiaries of the federal government youth empowerment programme, N-Power scheme, in Kwara state have appealed to President Mohammadu Buhari and the National Assembly, among other stakeholders to have a rethink on their sudden disengagement and provide them with a permanent job.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Tuesday, the N-Power beneficiaries, led by the state coordinator/chairman, Comrade Bello Mubarak Salau, described their disengagement as ill-timed and expressed displeasure on time of their disengagement, "without suitable modalities for the transition of the beneficiaries even when we are confronted with the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic".

The people also called on Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara state to engage them in such areas like teaching, healthcare delivery, tax and agriculture for the development of the state.

"We must understand that disengaging this set of youths at a time such as this is ill-timed most importantly when there seem to be no modalities put in place to keep this trained youths into gainful employment.

"Throwing these youths back to the streets at a time we are faced with a pandemic will only skyrocket the number of infected people in the country because of their running up and down in search of food.

"We sincerely appeal to the ministry in charge of Npower scheme to look into the issue of Npower device for batch 'B' beneficiaries who are yet to receive their devices as promised by the federal government of Nigeria. The payment of the devices was said to be approved since 2018, but nobody is answering query to its non- existence. It is achievable and we believe that the needful would be done as soon as possible.

"We implore the federal government to save the country from the impending disaster that may spring up from disengaging such capacity of trained youths back to the street particularly at a time such as this with all the harsh economic realities as a result of this pandemic.

"We Appreciate the federal government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari for the creation of a transparent and life touching empowerment programme (N-power) which has empowered gainfully 500,000 Nigerian Youths within the last four years as batch A and B of the scheme, this has tremendously helped to engage the youths into productiveness and contributing to the growth and development of our dear country Nigeria. This has also helped to reduce the rate of crimes and criminality for as it's said, an idle mind is the devil's workshop. We pray that the government may not need to borrow more money in tackling insecurity if it can't borrow such money to fix up its youths.

"We advise all the Npower beneficiaries to exercise patience and be hopeful that there would be a golden light at the end of this tunnel.

Our wishes

Provide permanent jobs for the capacity which the government can cater to and support others to create jobs and be employers of labour which government can also rely on.

Make available the devices of all batches A & B who are due for collection Set up a powerful monitoring team on this set of youths on till they are able to change the fortune of our country.

Use the well trained and structured beneficiaries to subdue pressure of insecurity in our country in a way of community watch, expose and reward syndrome.

Conduct a continues training and sensitization of these beneficiaries to become violence-free leaders of tomorrow