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.