REVEALED: 40% of 2017 N-Power Beneficiaries Already "Gainfully Employed" - Volunteer Writes N-Power

As Npower commences final preparations to deploy the long-waiting 2017 successfully selected beneficiaries of the Federal Government youth empowerment scheme, one of the waiting volunteers, Dagogo Festus, have written an open letter to Npower, claiming that many of the beneficiaries waiting to be deployed are already "gainfully employed".

The Kogi state selected beneficiary who claimed that four in every ten selected beneficiaries across the nation are already gainfully employed in full-time jobs, said it has become necessary to expose such "wicked" act as it deprived many willing but unemployed graduates the opportunity of being empowered.

Dagogo Festus, in a lengthy letter received by CNR Nigeria, described as sheer wickedness, the action of "already employed persons who applied and were selected, and in the process, denying thousands of truly unemployed graduates the much needed opportunity to benefit from the programme".

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The letter read: "I write to address a very important issue many people will certainly not be comfortable with. Help me to convey this message to Npower authorities. I am worried about a shocking discovery I made among my fellow 2017 selected beneficiaries. I know that many of my colleagues will see my action as rude but I must obey my conscience.

"Many of the 2017 selected beneficiaries of Npower are gainfully employed in various government and private sector establishments. In fact, to be more specific, 4 in every 10 2017 selected beneficiaries are already working somewhere. This is undeniable and indisputable fact and those in this category know themselves. I want draw the attention of Npower to this situation because their action is sheer wickedness and the height of greediness.

"Some people will be interested in understanding how I come about the figures here. I have come across over 100 selected beneficiaries selected the 2017 graduate recruitment. Through my interactions with many of them in my state and local government here in Lokoja, I have found that well over 30% of them are already employed somewhere. Out of every 10 selected beneficiaries I have met, 4 among them are employed and working. As a Christian, I have to be fair and objective in my analysis.

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"I feel particularly concerned about this matter because I have many young, energetic, capable and willing but unemployed graduates around me who applied for this programme but could not secure it or simply lost the opportunity to others who are already employed. Unfortunately, N-Power is very porous. It has no mechanism in place to check or track those in this category. Many of them who know me will hate me after reading this online but I care less about what they think. I am responsible first to my conscience. Even some of the outgoing 2016 beneficiaries don't go to their PPAs but their number is far less.

"This matter is not peculiar to Kogi state. It is the same situation from Sokoto to Rivers and from Katsina to Osun. Even as I write, Npower seem to be helpless. One of selected beneficiaries who is working in a bank here in Lokoja told me that Npower money is only part of the national cake. He was selected but he knew in advance that he is not going to do the job. His interest is the monthly stipends. What could be more wicked than this?

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"Npower must rise to the occasion and ensure that these persons are fished out and their positions given to those who truly need it. Injustice is not only treating equals unequally. It is also treating unequals equally. I have said my mind and nobody should trouble himself insulting me because I don't care".

"Thank you Mr Afolabi and the Npower team", the letter read.

Disclaimer: All the views expressed in this article are solely those of the writer. It does not in a way therefore, represent the views or standpoint of CNR Nigeria.