Npower News Today Monday June 17th 2024, Npower Batch C Beneficiaries Writes An Open Letter To President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

According to Npower News today Monday June 17th 2024, Honourable Comrade Mustapha Ali Buni, Npower National Coordinator has written an open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on behalf of Npower batch c beneficiaries regarding the delay in their Npower payment, below is the content of the letter and it reads thus:

"The Presidency Asorock Villa Abuja Federal Capital Territory,

His Excellency Honourable Asiwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu

President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Dear Sir,

I hope this letter finds you well. Firstly, I would like to extend my warm wishes to you and your family on this special occasion of Eid Mubarak. May this festive season bring you joy, peace, and prosperity.

I am writing to kindly remind you of the promises made to the Npower beneficiaries regarding the settlement of their backlogs payment that has been pending for eight to nine months now. As you are aware, these beneficiaries have been patiently waiting for their rightful dues and it is crucial that they receive the financial support they deserve.

On this Worker's Day, a day dedicated to honoring the hard work and dedication of workers across the nation, it is only fitting that we address the concerns of these beneficiaries who have been tirelessly serving their communities through various empowerment programs.

Your administration has been committed to improving the lives of Nigerians and ensuring their well-being. I sincerely hope that you will prioritize the resolution of this issue and fulfill the promises that were made to the Npower beneficiaries.

I believe that by taking action to settle their backlogs payment, you will not only uplift the spirits of these individuals but also demonstrate your dedication to fulfilling your responsibilities as the leader of our great nation.

Once again, I wish you all the best in your administration and I look forward to seeing positive outcomes for the Npower beneficiaries.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Warm regards,

Hon.Comrade Mustapha Ali Buni, The Political Pillar.

08066690106."

Npower batch c beneficiaries are being owed for 9 to 12 months and the Presidency promised to make Npower payment by June 15th but it seems like the Presidency have failed to fulfill that promise thereby putting Npower batch c beneficiaries in the dark, with this letter Npower batch c beneficiaries are optimistic that the Federal Government of Nigeria will promptly look into their plight and commence Npower payment to cushion the effect of economic hardship on these Npower batch c beneficiaries.

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Npower News: South-South Women With Disabilities Association (SSWWDA) Urge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu To Pick Mrs. Halimat Tejuosho As Minster for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation affairs

South-South Women With Disabilities Association (SSWWDA) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint Mrs. Halimat Tejuosho as Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

The chairperson of the South-South Women With Disabilities Association (SSWWDA), Mrs. Ada Tariff, told newsmen over the weekend in Yenagoa that Mrs. Halimat Tejuosho “is one of our own, administrator, a mother and humanitarian who showcases immense capacity to fill the vacuum at the Humanitarian Ministry.”

Mrs. Ada Tariff, said Mrs. Halimat Tejuosho would ensure the presence of disability desks in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and other federal agencies, something which has been missing for so long.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had earlier this year suspended the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Betta Edu, and directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) to investigate allegations of fraud in the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. 

Mrs. Ada Tariff, said, “As we are all aware, the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation has been vacant following the suspension of the Minister.”

The the South-South Women With Disabilities Association (SSWWDA), with membership across the South-south region is made up of all the disability clusters of physically challenged including the blind, deaf, people affected by leprosy, spinal cord injury and albinism.

Mrs. Ada Tariff, said: “We have gathered here today in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state capital to congratulate and appreciate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for a successful one year in office, including his progressive policies of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

“As women with disabilities, we also want to use this opportunity to thank our caring mother of the nation, the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Sen. Remi Tinubu for her firm support to Mr President, in addition to the agricultural support she has recently extended to women and youth as well as People With Disabilities across the country.”

Mrs. Ada Tariff, described people with disabilities as the most vulnerable members of the society, pointing out that it explains why the vacuum in the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation affected them negatively.

Source: https://blueprint.ng/pwds-urge-tinubu-to-appoint-tejuosho-humanitarian-affairs-minister/

All–Africa Students’ Union (AASU) Supports President Bola Ahmed Tinubu On Students’ Loan, Worries Over Out-of-school Children

The All–Africa Students’ Union (AASU) has expressed worry over the astronomical rise in the out-of-school-children syndrome in Africa, which it said has “hit over 100,000,000 with Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and South Sudan and others topping the global figures.” Addressing a world press conference in Abuja, Sunday, the President of the union, Osisiogu Osikenyi, said armed conflict is robbing at least 28,000,000 of the children of education by exposing them to widespread sexual violence, targeted attacks and sundry challenges.

Advising more countries in Africa to endorse and respect the Safe Schools Declaration – currently supported by one hundred and eight countries – to take concrete measures to better protect students, teachers, schools, and universities from attack during conflict, Osisiogu Osikenyi described the high cost of education across Africa as unbearable for students.

Osisiogu Osikenyi however praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the signing of the Students Loan Bill into law, saying the student loan will leverage the education system and provide the avenue for the children of the poor to have access to quality learning. “We commend His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as we are excited to identify with the haste he is in to Renew Our Hope for Nigeria to assume prominently her role as the Big Brother in Africa. We thank him immensely for the Student Loan Bill that has kicked off in Abuja; among numerous other exemplary education policies and investments,” Osisiogu Osikenyi said.

Osisiogu Osikenyi further said: “AASU commends the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited led by Malam Mele Kyari for his strides, especially towards making the Nigeria oil company become the largest and most capitalised company in Africa via the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) that has provided the organisation with the opportunity to shed some of its toxic liabilities.”

Source: https://blueprint.ng/aasu-backs-tinubu-on-students-loan-frets-over-out-of-school-children/

Cash Transfer

The Cash Transfer also known as the Community Cash Transfer Programme (CCT) is one of the social safety nets programmes anchored by the Federal Government of Nigeria. The Conditional Cash Transfer Programme commenced in September, 2016. The Conditional Cash Transfer was conceived as part of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s (FGN) larger growth and social inclusion strategies aimed at addressing key social concerns in the country.

The Conditional Cash Transfer is a component of National Social Safety Nets Project (NASSP) which is supported by the World Bank, to provide financial support to targeted poor and vulnerable Nigerian households.

The Conditional Cash Transfer programme is focused on responding to deficiencies in capacity and lack of investment in human capital, especially amongst our poorest citizens. Beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer programme are mined from the National Social Register (NSR), comprising State Social Registers (SR) of poor and vulnerable households. The Social Registers (SRs) are being developed with the training, supervision and guidance from the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office in Abuja.

The Conditional Cash Transfer programme is designed to deliver timely and accessible cash transfers to beneficiary households and sets to support development objectives and priorities, to achieve specific outcomes as outlined below:

1) Improve household consumption.

2) Increase in utilization of health and nutrition services.

3) Improve school enrolment and attendance.

4) Improve environmental sanitation and management.

5) Encourage household financial and asset acquisition.

6) Engage beneficiaries in sustainable livelihood.

The Conditional Cash Transfer programme has three components which are as follows:

1) Base Cash Transfer: This provides targeted monthly base cash transfer of ₦25,000 for three months making a total of ₦75,000 to the eligible mined from the National Social Register (NSR). The Cash transfer is to help improve their consumption levels and to encourage them to develop savings skills. The overall objective is aimed at reducing poverty, preventing the vulnerable households from becoming poorer and building their ability to be better than what they were before they started benefiting from the conditional cash transfer programme.

2) Top-Up based on State selected conditions: The top-up cash transfer is an additional ₦25,000 made available to some poor and vulnerable households. Beneficiaries who qualify for the top-up cash transfer are required to participate in at least one of the activities that contributes to their human capital development and to a sustainable environment. Beneficiaries are expected to adhere to the specified conditions attached to the top-up transfer. These conditions are referred to as “co-responsibilities”. The co-responsibilities are associated to education, environment, health, and nutrition. Each state is expected to pick at least one co-responsibility that reflects the state’s deficiency in the specified areas. The objectives of the top-up cash transfer include the following:

A) Education: Increase children school enrolment/attendance

B) Environment: Address environmental hazards to improve productive assets

C) Health: Improve utilization of health facilities for ante-natal care, post-natal care, and child immunization

D) Nutrition: Improve child nutrition

3) Livelihood Support: The livelihood support activities facilitate graduation of beneficiaries out of poverty, thereby making them financially independent. Livelihood support aims at complementing the cash transfer to help targeted households to build a mind-set of enterprise development in order to reduce abject poverty in communities and create opportunities for work both on-farm and off-farm especially among women and youth. The livelihood component of the conditional cash programme is fundamentally focused at enabling beneficiaries to establish a sustainable means of livelihood. A number of beneficiaries have made remarkable progress in their individual lives and households. A lot of the beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) are engaged in productive business activities for self-reliance. Some of them are engage in animal husbandry, petty trading, services such as dressmaking, grinding of grains and other necessary service at the communities which was the preserve of a few persons.

National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO)

The National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) through the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme provides support for poor and vulnerable citizens through targeted cash transfers, capacity building, and coaching and mentoring and livelihood support.

Overall Management Responsibilities for National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO)

The National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) provides the following duties below: 

1) Provide technical support and stakeholder engagement.

2) Facilitate beneficiaries’ enrolment and issue conditional cash transfer programme card to beneficiaries.

3) Support capacity building of states and LGAs to deliver training and sensitization by developing training materials and training of trainers.

4) Integrate the Payment Service Providers (PSPs) into the systems developed under NASSP (these are the NSR, MIS, and financial management (FM) systems).

5).Provide effective coordination for the payment system.

6) Provide technical and financial support to State Cash Transfer Units (SCTUs) and Local Government Areas (LGAs) to carry out their responsibilities.

7).Conduct performance assessment, review and reporting.

8) Liaise with Ministries Department and Agencies (MDAs) and Civil Societies Organizations to support delivery.

9) Provide framework for the co-responsibilities for state selection.

10) Facilitate beneficiaries training, coaching and mentoring.

11) Monitor the progress of activities at state levels to ensure conformity to plans and standards.

12) Provide grievance redress hub and ensure that grievances emerging from states are investigated and addressed.

13) Establish and implement system to minimize fraud, error and corruption.

14) Engage and supervise payment service providers.

15) Disburse Cash Transfers to beneficiaries.

While the National Cash Transfer Office's (NCTO’s) mandate is to deliver the targeted cash transfer across the country, the actual implementation happens at the state level through the State Cash Transfer Unit (SCTU). SCTU manages and coordinates the targeted cash transfer and livelihood intervention. Each local government area establishes a cash transfer team to implement activities at the community level.

Source: https://nassp.gov.ng/national-cash-transfer-programme/