N-Power: Senate intervenes as beneficiaries threaten lawsuit over unpaid N81 billion allowance

The Senate has disclosed its intervention in the unpaid N81 billion allowance of beneficiaries of N-Power programme initiated by the past administration, thereby rekindling the hope of beneficiaries across the country.

This was made known on Tuesday in Abuja by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau who brokered understanding between the Federal Government, aggrieved beneficiaries of the scheme who are still being owned 2022, 2023 monthly allowances totalling N81 billion and their counsel, Barrister Abba Hikima.

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Barau told journalists that agreement has been reached after about an two hours tripartite meeting in his office, that the beneficiaries would backdown their intended litigation against the Federal Government over unpaid allowance so that government will have time to sort it out.

He said: “The beneficiaries came to the Senate to seek for my intervention. And then I called the Minister, and the Minister was very responsive.

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“He came on board, and there was a fruitful discussion that led them to understand that the Minister had already gone very far in making preparation for the money to be paid.

“So having gotten convinced that there is a clear intention on the part of government to get the money paid they now decided to back down and stay action on the legal route to get the money paid and I showed them that this is a government that is responsive and really up and doing in terms of making sure that nobody suffers in terms of getting what is due to them in line with the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

“Though the problem is inherited but the present government as clearly stated and assured by the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, is doing every thing possible to solve it with payment of allowances owed the beneficiaries”

Also explaining the outcome of the meeting, the Minister said intervention made by the Deputy President of the Senate, yielded positive results for parties concerned which are, the federal government and the beneficiaries of the N-Power programme.

“I want to first thank the Deputy Senate President for convening this meeting for us to treat the case that has been for years now, the issue of payment of the backlog of our end-power beneficiaries, which we are owing, or owing them.

“We acknowledge the fact that we are owing them, and we know we are owing them, but it was actually part of the 2022 and 2023 budget that was not paid to them, and because it was recurrent, it passes along with the year’s budget.

“There was no provision for it in 2024 and 2025, so we sought for it at the service-wide vote. We got approval, but it was late for last year, so we are working on the approval for this year to ensure that once we get the budget implementation for this year 2025, we have to find a way of making those payments to the beneficiaries.

“I think being a responsive government, we’re not denying the fact that we have that as part of the issue we need to resolve and it will surely be resolved before the year runs out “, he said

Confirming the stay of litigation due to the intervention, the counsel of the beneficiaries , Barrister Abba Hikima said : ” As explained by the Honorable Minister, the government is owing my clients about N81billion and he has given us his words that they are working on it and they are waiting for this year’s budget to begin to be implemented, and that as soon as the budget is being implemented, they can get access to their money.

“Although I’m their lawyer, but I really appreciate the effort of the Deputy Senate President who, despite the fact that he is not directly affected by this, took it upon himself to convene this meeting, as well as the Honorable Minister of State and as well as the Humanitarian Minister.

“They are all here and they have all given us their words, and we have taken them for it, and we are confident and hopeful that in the nearest future, within the year, definitely, this money is expected to be paid”.

The Chairman of the N- Power beneficiaries in Nigeria , Kehinde James thanked the Deputy President of the Senate for his intervention and the two ministers for their assurances .

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