Following the onboarding of 510,000 N-Power beneficiaries in the 36 states and the FCT and flagging-off of N-Power Batch C on Monday, August 23, 2021 by Sadiya Umar Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, we take a look at the programme to understand how it impacts its target audience while advancing the Buhari administration’s vision of lifting 100 million people out of poverty by 2030 through the creation of opportunities to enhance the productivity of the Nigerian youth.

The programme is designed to empower Nigerian youths aged 18 – 35 by upskilling them for employability or entrepreneurship. Launched in 2016 as a core element of the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP), it has through the Batch A and B impacted 500,000 beneficiaries.

During the onboarding and flag off ceremony, the Minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq, congratulated the successful beneficiaries and charged them to make optimum use of the opportunity given to them.

1. Batch C is divided into 2 streams with a total of 1 million beneficiaries. Stream C1 is made up of 510,000 beneficiaries while C2 has 490,000 beneficiaries. Stream C1 is broken down into 450,000 beneficiaries under the Graduate component and 60,000 beneficiaries under the Non-Graduate component

2. The ministry has introduced innovations to ensure that the challenges of communication are addressed. With regard to limitation of information flow and internet access across the country, the Ministry has provided access to information via a USSD code. The USSD short code *45665# will provide the required connectivity and technical support for the provision of information services to beneficiaries

3. The Ministry highlighted changes to the N-Power selection and payment processes such as the creation of the National Social Investment Management Systems (NASIMS). It has also entered into partnership with key MDAs including the NYSC, the UBEC, the NPHCDA, the NOA amongst others.

4. The N-Power programme, which focuses on Agriculture, Health, Teaching, ICT, Entrepreneurship and Building, deployed an online application and selection strategy for Batch C to ensure fairness, transparency and credibility in the recruitment process.

5. N-Power Batch C Stream C1 beneficiaries, who were present at the onboarding and flag-off event, were presented with engagement letters by Sadiya Umar Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

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