FG to Begin Payment of N81bn N-Power Backlog to Beneficiaries

FG is preparing to pay N81bn owed to N-Power beneficiaries, following Senate-brokered talks that paused legal action.

The Senate on Tuesday announced that the Federal Government is making arrangements to clear the outstanding “N81bn“ owed to N-Power beneficiaries for “2022 and 2023” allowances.

This followed a closed-door meeting convened by the “Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin”, involving aggrieved beneficiaries, their counsel “Abba Hikima”, and the “Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda.”

Barau, addressing journalists after the meeting, said, “The beneficiaries came here to the Senate to seek my intervention. I called the minister, and he responded positively. We held a very fruitful discussion that assured the beneficiaries that the government is actively making preparations to settle the backlog.”

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He added, “Having seen the clear commitment of the government, they have agreed to suspend legal action.”

The minister clarified that the unpaid allowances were captured in the “2022 and 2023 budgets” but were not provided for in “2024 and 2025”. He said efforts are underway to activate payments using the service-wide vote, stating, “We will resolve this before the year ends.”

Counsel to the beneficiaries, Hikima, confirmed the “N81 billion” owed and said litigation was suspended based on government assurances.

Chairman of the N-Power beneficiaries, Kehinde James, thanked the Senate and government officials for their intervention.

The N-Power programme, once a flagship social initiative, has recently faced funding delays and protests over unpaid stipends.