SOME beneficiaries of the National Social Investment Programme (N-power), have written to Ahmed Lawan, the Senate President over the failure of Sadiya Umar Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to pay their monthly stipends in the last three months.
In a letter dated June 15 and addressed to the Senate President by Aremu Ridwan Olalekan, spokesperson of the unpaid beneficiaries of the scheme, they disclosed that they have not been paid for the months of March, April and May.
“I write to draw your attention to and lodge complaints about non-payment of N-power Beneficiaries’3-
month stipends (March, April and May 2020), by Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and
Disaster Management, Hajia Saddiya Farouq,” part of the letter read.
They are asking the Senate President to use his office to compel the Minister to pay their stipends, noting that they have exhausted all avenues to reach out to the minister.
“We will be extremely glad sir, if you compel the minister to pay our unpaid three months stipends,” they pleaded with Lawan.
“We, the affected beneficiaries haven’t been able to meet up with our daily needs due to nonpayment of the 3-months stipends,” he said.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown have worsened our living standards. We are extremely hungry.”
On June 9,The ICIR reported how the beneficiaries had cried out over the non-payment of their allowances.
Prior to the report, the Minister had promised beneficiaries and the program monitors across the country that they would start receiving payments for the months of March and April within the next 72 hours.
When contacted, Halima Oyelade, Special Adviser on Media to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, asked our reporter to send his enquiry about the payment of N-Power beneficiaries’ stipends to her on Whastsapp because she could not speak immediately on phone.
She however, did not respond to further calls and did not reply the question sent to her on Whatsapp.
Samad Uthman is a multimedia journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. He tweets @sarmerdk2 and can be shot through [email protected]