The Federal Government, on Sunday, stated that the estimated amount spent on all N-Power activities under the National Social Investment Programmes in Kano State was N5.9bn.
It denied reports that claimed that the N5.9bn was spent only on the training/tooling and payments of about 177 youths in smartphone repairs in the state.
The media aide to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Nneke Anibeze, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja.
The statement read in part, “The ministry hereby re-states that the estimated N5.9bn quoted is the amount spent on all the N-Power activities and beneficiaries in Kano State over the period of engagement.”
Quoting from the speech of the Humanitarian Minister, Sadiya Farouq, delivered at the event in Kano, the ministry in its statement, said, “The graduate and non-graduate components of the N-Power programme have been expanded to provide job opportunities for 16,629 unemployed youths in Kano State under Batch C.
“This is following the successful exiting of 18,042 youths under Batches A and B. You may wish to note that under the National Social Investment Programme, the Federal Government is investing over N5.9bn for the training, tooling and/or payment of monthly stipends on the Batch C beneficiaries.
“This is a tremendous direct injection of resources at the grassroots and in the hands of the youths.”
The ministry stated that just like in all states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, the implementation of the N-Power in Kano State had 13,890 Batch C graduate beneficiaries, 2,966 non-graduate beneficiaries, including 175 phone repair technicians.
“All non-graduate beneficiaries are entitled to tools and starter pack grants after training to proceed and establish their business,” it stated.
The ministry argued that it was unfair to report that the N5.9bn was only for N-Skills (phone repairs training and kitting).
“These resources cover the lump-sum investment for all N-Power implementation in Kano state including mobile money agents training and kitting, N-Build training and kitting, N-Knowledege training and kitting, stipend payment for graduate volunteers and indeed the N-Skills pilot 1 (smartphone repairs),” it stated.
