Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin has intervened in the ongoing dispute over unpaid allowances owed to N-Power beneficiaries, announcing that the federal government is making progress toward settling the N81 billion backlog dating back to 2022 and 2023.
Okay.ng reports that Jibrin disclosed this following a meeting he brokered on Tuesday between senior government officials, legal representatives of the aggrieved beneficiaries, and members of the N-Power Beneficiaries Association.
According to Jibrin, the meeting resulted in a breakthrough as the beneficiaries, who had threatened legal action over the prolonged non-payment of their stipends, agreed to suspend all litigation following renewed assurances of payment from the federal government.
“The beneficiaries came here to the senate to seek my intervention,” Jibrin said. “I called the minister, and he was very responsive. There was a fruitful discussion that led to an understanding that the minister had already gone very far in making preparations for the money to be paid.”
“Having gotten convinced that there is a clear intention on the part of the government to get the money paid, they now decided to stay action on the legal route,” he added.
The deputy senate president acknowledged that the debt was inherited from the previous administration, but said the current government, under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, remains committed to fulfilling the obligation.
Speaking after the meeting, Abdullahi Gwarzo, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, confirmed the government’s plan to clear the backlog and outlined the process being followed.
“We acknowledge the fact that we are owing them. It was part of the 2022 and 2023 budget that was not paid to them,” Gwarzo explained.
“Because it was recurrent, it passed 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.”
He continued: “We are working on the approval for this year to ensure that once we get the budget implementation for 2025, we have to find a way of making those payments to the beneficiaries.”
Abba Hikima, the lawyer representing the beneficiaries, also confirmed the temporary suspension of legal proceedings, citing the credibility of assurances given during the meeting.
“We have taken the assurances from the ministers and the deputy senate president in good faith,” Hikima said. “We are confident and hopeful that in the nearest future—within the year—the money will be paid.”
Kehinde James, chairman of the N-Power Beneficiaries Association, expressed appreciation to the Senate and the ministries involved, stating that the intervention had restored hope among the thousands of affected youths.
The N-Power Programme, designed to provide employment and skill development for young Nigerians, has faced mounting criticism in recent years over unpaid stipends, poor communication, and delays in transitions to other schemes.
