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Oyo : NPower beneficiaries lament over unpaid stipends .
SOME beneficiaries of the social intervention programme dubbed N-Power Scheme, an initiative of the Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government, on Wednesday in Oyo state protested against non-payment of their monthly stipends since December last year.
The agitators who stormed the state Ministry of Women Affairs, Poverty Alleviation and Social Development Secretariat Ibadan hinted that they have been cleared but wonder why they are yet to be receiving their monthly stipends.
They disclosed that their colleagues in other states have been paid as at when due as they alleged that delay in the payment by those who are in charge appeared that some people with ulterior motive have cornered their money on selfish grounds.
Protesters who expressed their displeasure decried that it was unfortunate that all efforts made to get the person who is in charge so as to provide necessary information for them proved abortive.
Refreshing your memory, the Special Adviser to the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Mr. Laolu Akande has reportedly claimed that the 200,000 unemployed youths across the 36 states and FCT have been posted to their respective places of work, adding that those employed will start work and receive their stipends from December 1st last year.
Contrary, Kehinde Omolola from Akinyele Local Government, one of the beneficiaries lamented that all efforts made by the beneficiaries in all the 33 local government areas of the state to know the main anchor of the scheme in the state has severally yielded fruitless results.
She then urged the office of the Vice President to intervene in the matter to avoid their own allowance being hijacked by the officials in charge.
Omolola reported that officials of the National Orientation Agency, State Universal Basic Education Board, Ministry of Education and the Women Affairs have been pushing them to each other since the commencement of the payment of December 2016 allowance in January this year.
“I am one of the beneficiaries of NPower, we that are here have not been paid, they did not tell us anything, they have been pushing us to each other, we have gone to the secretariat to complain, we have been to NOA, SUBEB, Ministry of Education and Women Affairs, they did not tell us anyone that is in charge”, she bewailed.
Similarly, another beneficiary, Folarin Dipo from Oluyole Local Government Area said that that their counterparts in other states have been paid but they are yet to receive a penny.
“We are here to tell the management of NPower that we have not collected our allowance since December, we have gone to various agencies but they don’t have any information for us, they have been dragging us from one place to another. That is why we are saying enough is enough. We have been selected and verified but I am wondering why our counterparts in other states have been paid and we are yet to receive any penny”.
The story was not different as another beneficiary who identified himself as Damilare from Ibadan South-West Local Government Area urged the state government to rescue them so that the opportunity will not elude them.
Meanwhile, an official at the Poverty Alleviation department in the ministry, who later chased the protesters out of the premises, Mr. Adekunle Sunday declared that the Commissioner of Women Affairs, Mrs. Atinuke Osunkoya who is not in the office is the one in charge of the program.
Adekunle who did not want journalists to quote him, being a civil servant said the problem may be due to error in account details supplied.
“Some of them have changed their names due to marriage, if the information is different from the account details supplied, will you pay? Some of them, their documents are not completed”.
“Please everybody should leave here. Vacate this premises”, he ordered.
However, Mega Icon Magazine further checks revealed that some youths in the State who are beneficiaries of the scheme have been receiving their stipends.
US car giant Ford on Wednesday announced 4,000 more job cuts in Europe, mostly in Germany and Britain, in the latest blow to the continent’s beleaguered car industry.
“The company has incurred significant losses in recent years,” Ford said in a statement, blaming “the industry shift to electrified vehicles and new competition”.
The move will affect 2,900 jobs in Germany, 800 in the UK and 300 in western Europe by the end of 2027, a Ford spokesman told AFP.
“It is critical to take difficult but decisive action to ensure Ford’s future competitiveness in Europe,” said Dave Johnston, Ford’s European vice-president in the statement.
The company also said it was adjusting the production of its Explorer and Capri models, resulting in reduced hours at its Cologne plant in the first quarter of 2025.
Europe’s car industry has been plunged into crisis by high manufacturing costs, a stuttering switch to electric vehicles and increased competition in key market China.
Germany’s Volkswagen has been among those hardest hit, announcing in September that it was considering the unprecedented move of closing some factories in Germany.
“The European automotive industry is in a very demanding and serious situation,” Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume said at the time.
Ford had already announced in February 2023 that it was planning to cut 3,800 jobs in Europe, including 2,300 in Germany and 1,300 in Britain.
The company said then it was planning to reduce the number of models developed for Europe, concentrate on the profitable van segment and speed up the transition to electric vehicles.
Ford currently has around 28,000 employees in Europe with 15,000 in Germany, according to the company’s works council.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the dissolution of the Governing Council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Anambra State, and the removal of the institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Bernard Ifeanyi Odoh, and Registrar, Mrs. Rosemary Ifoema Nwokike.
The council, chaired by Ambassador Greg Ozumba Mbadiwe, comprised five other members: Hafiz Oladejo, Augustine Onyedebelu, Engr. Amioleran Osahon, and Rtd. Gen. Funsho Oyeneyin.
A statement released on Wednesday by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, revealed that the council was dissolved following reports of procedural violations in appointing the vice-chancellor.
According to the statement, the council had allegedly appointed an unqualified candidate, disregarding due process, which triggered tensions between the university’s Senate and the council.
The Federal Government expressed dismay over the council’s actions, emphasizing the need for adherence to the university’s governing laws in decision-making.
“The council’s disregard for established rules necessitated the government’s intervention to restore order to the 33-year-old institution,” the statement noted.
In a related development, President Tinubu also approved the dismissal of Engr. Ohieku Muhammed Salami, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Benue State.
Salami was accused of suspending the university’s Vice-Chancellor without following the prescribed procedures, a move the Federal Ministry of Education had previously directed him to reverse.
Despite the Ministry’s directives, Salami reportedly refused to comply and resorted to issuing threats and abusive remarks towards the Ministry’s officials, including the Permanent Secretary.
The Federal Government reiterated that the primary role of university councils is to ensure the smooth operation of academic activities, strictly adhering to the laws establishing each institution.
Tinubu warned university councils against engaging in actions that could destabilize their institutions, as his administration remains committed to enhancing the nation’s education system.
The Ekiti State Government has reached an agreement with labour leaders in the state, signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the payment of the N70,000 minimum wage approved by the Federal Government.
Addressing journalists at a brief ceremony in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday, the Head of Service (HoS), Dr. Folakemi Olomojobi, announced that the payment would commence immediately.
She lauded Governor Biodun Oyebanji for prioritizing the welfare of workers despite the state’s limited resources.
“This development demonstrates the governor’s commitment to improving the livelihood of our workers,” Dr. Olomojobi stated, highlighting the proactive measures taken by the administration to ensure prompt implementation.
In their remarks, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Chairman, Comrade Sola Adigun, and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Chairman, Comrade Olatunde Kolapo, expressed their appreciation to Governor Oyebanji for fulfilling his promises to workers.
They confirmed that the new minimum wage would apply to all cadres, including employees in ministries, parastatals, agencies, and pensioners.
The Chairman of the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC), Comrade Femi Ajoloko, described the implementation as a fair and commendable adjustment.
“This decision reflects the governor’s magnanimity and his dedication to fostering a productive workforce in Ekiti State,” he said.
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