The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development says no fewer than 550,000 out of the 1.8 million Batch C applicants have been selected for the final stage of N-Power.

Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, the Minister, Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development made this known at a press briefing on Tuesday in Abuja.

Farouq said on March 11, the ministry launched the National Social Investment Management System (NASIMS) for the Batch C applicants. She said the applicants were requested to update their personal information and subsequently, take an online test via the NASIMS Portal.

“By the third week of May 2021, over 1.8 million Nigerians successfully updated their records and took the compulsory online test.

“Further screening was undertaken and a short-list of 550,000 applicants qualified for the final selection to engage 500,000 nationwide to serve as the first stream of the N-Power Batch C programme.

“This is the Batch C 1. The second batch of another 500,000 will subsequently be made in line with Mr President’s directive to engage 1,000,000 beneficiaries under the Batch C.

“The 550,000 short-listed applicants are being individually contacted via their e-mail addresses provided and are first advised to check and then immediately log-on to the NASIMS self-service portal and enrol their biometric data to qualify for final selection,” she said.

She urged the selected applicants to call the dedicated NASIMS, N-Power helplines on 0188883410 or 08176551162 or send an email to support.npower@nasims.gov.ng for further enquiries on their application status and any other questions they may have.

The minister also advised that their application details should be handy to ensure hitch-free communication with the call centre desk.

In another development on the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, Farouq said a total of 9,196,823 pupils in classes one to three in public primary schools would receive one nutritious meal daily in all 54,619 schools nationwide.

According to her, the programme is being expanded to accommodate an additional five million children in line with the directives of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The outcomes of this programme include increase in school enrolment, improved nutrition for benefiting pupils, boosting of local economies and facilitating job creation through the activities of 103,028 cooks, 100,000 small holder farmers and numerous aggregators and commodity transporters engaged nationwide.

“I am delighted to say that plans to on-board the second Batch of beneficiaries under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme are nearing completion and will be made public soon.

“Also, as part of the NSIP, the Rapid Response Register (RRR) has been put in place by the ministry as a shock responsive intervention register, specifically targeted at the urban informal workers impacted by the COVID- 19 pandemic.

“One million beneficiaries will receive monthly cash transfers of N5, 000 for six months. A pilot programme commenced earlier this year with 3,115 beneficiaries in Lagos and Abuja.

“It will be scaled nationwide and beneficiaries will start receiving their stipends soon. The ministry remains committed to the continued implementation of programmes in line with President Buhari’s policy to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years,” Farouq said. (NAN)

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