There seem to be palpable unease among N-power volunteers across the country as many of them lament about the non-receipt of their monthly stipend for March. While they complained about the month of March, a cross section of them who spoke to News Express insisted that the delay in receiving the money became a trend when the newly created Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management took charge.

“This delay has become more unbearable since the programme was transferred from the Office of the Vice President to the new Ministry. The Minister in charge, Mrs. Sadiya Umar Farouq, has been giving excuses on reasons for the delays since October last year,” said a volunteer who pleaded anonymity.

Some of the volunteers noted that as at yesterday (April 10, 2020) they were yet to be paid their March stipend even now that the prices of goods have tripped in the market and Nigerians are asked to obey the stay-at-home order to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are hereby appealing to the Honourable Minister to pay us our March 2020 stipend or resign from the Ministry if she can no longer do the needful as at when due,” they said.

One of them who simply identified himself as Bayo lamented that the 2017 set of volunteers have not been given anythingand nothing is being said about it yet,” adding: “The 2016 veterans have served for long now and still earning stipends of N30,000 which cannot buy much today in our today’s markets.”

Howeversome of them said that while being thankful to President Muhammadu Buhari and his Vice, Prof Yemi Osibanjo, for this laudable programme, they demand for its sustainability, permanency of volunteers after graduation from the training and upward review of their salary instead of stipends as obtainable by other graduates in other ministries.

“You know that among these volunteers are those under the graduate category, qualified trained teachers under N-Teach category, qualified health personnel under N-Health category and qualified agric extension workers under the N-Agro category.

“We are asking for the stipends of the work which we have done and not begging for money. As at today April 10, 2020 which is Good Friday, no March stipend have been paid yet meaning we are going to stay hungry during this Easter celebration. This is wickedness and we can’t take it anymore,” they lamented to News Express.

The aggrieved volunteers also cried out that “the Minister’s incompetence and continued excuses for the delayed stipends is no longer acceptable to all of us 500,000 volunteers across the nation. We plead with her to have the fear of God and treat us as a sincere mother to her children or respectfully resign if she can’t manage the ministry anymore.”

N-Power is designed by the Federal Government under the Social Investment Programme for job creation and empowerment initiatives. It is created to help reduce unemployment by helping them create jobs and engaging them in activities while unemployed.