Npower Exit Plan Dead or Alive
Nexit Plan Dead Or Alive
On behalf of the 500,000exited Npower beneficiaries , Batches A&B precisely, hereby register our undiluted gratitude to the APC government for initiating a laudable project such as the Npower program in the year 2016.
The essence of this presentation is to draw the attention of concerned stakeholders and the general public to issues bothering on the Npower programme and the transition to the Nexit phase. Before I advance in the course of this presentation, I will like to seize this medium which i tag as golden to be emphatic on the most alluring aspect of the programme, which anchors on the recruitment process. The transparency recorded in the absorption of beneficiaries into the scheme, indicates a paradigm shift from the cultural high wire connection popularly known in pidgin parlance as "man know man" which bedevils the Nigerian civil service and the private sector.
Despite the pluses that accompany the scheme, one cannot claim oblivion of the fact that the later part of the program was marred by by plurality of shortcomings. One of such resounding pitfalls recorded, is the issue of entitlement which captures fundamentals such as;delay in stipend payment, backlog issues, non issuance of devices to the exited Batch B category of the programme which have all lingered till date.
Some of these loopholes identified are affiliated to bureaucratic bottlenecks, following the transfer of the programme from the office of the vice president, Prof.Yemi Osibanjo to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHDs), under the auspices of Minister Umar Sadiya Farouq. On the other hand, backlog issues and non fulfillment of some major promises can be attributed to gross incompetence on the part of the minister. It can be recalled that the pioneer set of the Npower programme (Batches A&B) were impromptu exited from the scheme on the month of June , 2020. The timing of the termination of their appointments can be in brevity described as suicidal, considering the fact that it was a critical period when economies were confronted with a Summersault, following the outbreak of the global pandemic, the "Corona Virus". This was further worsened by the fact that the beneficiaries were heart wrenched that their expectations were prematurely aborted, as hope was in top gear for the FG to fulfill the permanency electioneering campaign promise.
The above statement is buttressed by a press release delivered by the former Special Assistant on Job creation, AIG Afolabi Imhuokede on October 2017. This promise that never came to limelight, further define governments intent as highly politicised, deduced from the fact that the permanency agenda which meant the direct absorption of beneficiaries into the civil service and private sector never came to fruition . This statement was nothing but a mare political hogwash, considered a potent instrument of vote garnering as obtainable during the 2019 general elections. Realistically speaking, the permanency was meant to be taken to heart by gullible beneficiaries who failed to do a feasibility check on the promise, knowing fully well that judging by all economic indices, anchored on existing realities, the dynamics that the Covid19 brought to the fore, escorted this agenda to a point of no near possibility. It was rhetorically possible but pragmatically a failure to absorb 500,000 Nigerian Youths into the civil service. This necessitated an extrapolation of the situations at a time which birthed my publications that took these series 1)2016 Npower beneficiaries and the proposed enhancement package. 2)Disengagement of 500,000 Npower beneficiaries and issues surrounding 3)Npower device collection;Matters Arising 4)Preference for exit package , Not a Witchhunt. 5)The pensionable ENTERPRENEUR and the CBN loan Offer. All as reflected on my Facebook page @Uwode Josephine. These piece of articles X-rayed the gains and drawbacks tied to the permanency agenda.
On November 2020, following numerous protests organised by the 36states Npower representatives and Coalition groups which turned out to be a way of holding the government by the throat to fulfill her promise of getting exited beneficiaries productively engaged, the Nexit portal was launched. The process of registration by beneficiaries was also constrained by issues of network glitches that encumbrance the application of a chunk of beneficiaries as anticipated. The Nexit received a huge welcome as it was perceived to be a beckon of hope and a compensation or alternative for the failed permanency promise which would have served as litmus test towards ascertaining governments commitment to the Nexit course. Undoubtedly , entrepreneurship has been empirically proven to mean the spark plug of modern economies with the twin benefits of employment creation and a boost to Gross National Product (GDP). However, the potential encoded in such a measure dwells on the creation of an enabling environment for businesses to thrive, made possible through access to capital to kick start and power already existing businesses.
The Nexit plan is designed to accommodate 500,000 exited beneficiaries and enable them access to soft loans (collateral and interest free loan), with the process ranging from application......trainings.....selection ........and loan disbursement. As enticing as this may sound, governments sincerity of purpose and commitment towards the actualisation of this plan can be tagged as adulterated. This is born out of the failed incessant promises on the part of the government for not allowing the fluid flow of the Nexit plan. A basic flaw associated with the promise, is the failure to commence the training process expected to lead to loan disbursement , officially made public and slated for the month of October, 2021 which at the moment ended in futility. With these hiccups horoscope which has led to heightened frustration on the part of exited beneficiaries , series of physical mega protests and online agitations have been launched all of which have ended exercises in futility.
The one million dollar question begging for urgent answers at this juncture are: 1) Is the FG awaiting the 2023 election as usual in order to use the Nexit programme as a campaign strategy as obtainable during the 2019 general elections? 2)If the Nexit is actually a plan, why does it lack the basic ingredients of a formidable plan which is timing?. The Nexit plan in terms of typology is not clearly defined as such cannot be tagged a short term plan or long term ? 3)Soft loan is expected to be consensual. At this point, beneficiaries have been made to consent to the Nexit loan without getting them abreast with the terms and conditions surrounding e.g The stipulated loan amount, moratorium, interest rate where applicable . These are factors if not scrutinised and discrepancies reconciled ,could lead to the automatic ruination of the potentials encapsulated in the Nexit plan.
One does not need to be reminded that retiring a seismic pool of unemployed graduates into an already saturated labour market could be very catastrophic. This is a sure return to the viscous cycle of poverty, contrary to the campaign objective of the ApC, hinged on reducing the ballooning unemployment rate of which the Npower seems to be instrumental towards its attainment. Thus defeating the very essence of the Npower initiative. With all these aforementioned inconsistencies examined, government's taunted interest exhibited and as eloquently manifested in the interplay of semantics such as soon, efforts in top gear, Nexit in the pipeline that all turned euphoria, it has become crystal clear that the only language government understand is violence and invariably redefining this era to mean that of AK 47. Amidst the Nexit programme, numerous empowerment programs have been rolled out such as NYIf,RRR e.t.c with the Nexit receiving little or no attention. The Federal Government is generally sitting on the necks of Nigerian youths and we no longer have the luxury of patience to condone government's excesses. We are choking by the day.
At this point, in as much as exited beneficiaries donnot subscribe to violence as enlightened minds, I am soliciting intervention of all sort from the general public capable of spuring the FMHDS and the apex bank (CBN) that are partners in this to deliver optimally the Nexit plan. If this Nexit plan comes to fruition, it will serve as a bailout for exited beneficiaries from the social menace of joblessness and youth restiveness. Since it has come to our notice that government is trying to play dirty politics with the Nexit plan, I also want to use this medium to sound a note of warning to the APC government that 500,000 Nigerian Youths is an army of electoral gallantry capable of causing a political tsunami. We have the productive force to sweep in and out any unproductive government with the power tied to our PVCs. On this ground, we kindly appeal for government's maximum cooperation, to see to the smooth implementation of the Nexit /transition plan. This is to avert aggressive reactions from aggrieved exited beneficiaries that could be damaging to all parties involved as patience have been overstretched to its elastic limit. In every gathering there must be a Judah. The activities of some saboteurs amongst the exited beneficiaries cannot be swept under the carpet. Unconfirmed rumours of backlog payments speculated and protests most times scheduled for days when Mr president is always out of the country, further substantiates this claim. We advice such unscrupulous elements to desist from such dehumanising actions that indicates their crossing over to the Egyptian side.
Conclusively, my robust thanks goes to all exited beneficiaries that have been at the front burner of this course and have made immense contributions in the pursuit of the permanency/Nexit . As we live with a sense of optimism to see to the actualisation of our collective struggles and aspirations, I can only wish us all nothing but good luck as we surgeon to greatness.
The essence of this presentation is to draw the attention of concerned stakeholders and the general public to issues bothering on the Npower programme and the transition to the Nexit phase. Before I advance in the course of this presentation, I will like to seize this medium which i tag as golden to be emphatic on the most alluring aspect of the programme, which anchors on the recruitment process. The transparency recorded in the absorption of beneficiaries into the scheme, indicates a paradigm shift from the cultural high wire connection popularly known in pidgin parlance as "man know man" which bedevils the Nigerian civil service and the private sector.
Despite the pluses that accompany the scheme, one cannot claim oblivion of the fact that the later part of the program was marred by by plurality of shortcomings. One of such resounding pitfalls recorded, is the issue of entitlement which captures fundamentals such as;delay in stipend payment, backlog issues, non issuance of devices to the exited Batch B category of the programme which have all lingered till date.
Some of these loopholes identified are affiliated to bureaucratic bottlenecks, following the transfer of the programme from the office of the vice president, Prof.Yemi Osibanjo to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHDs), under the auspices of Minister Umar Sadiya Farouq. On the other hand, backlog issues and non fulfillment of some major promises can be attributed to gross incompetence on the part of the minister. It can be recalled that the pioneer set of the Npower programme (Batches A&B) were impromptu exited from the scheme on the month of June , 2020. The timing of the termination of their appointments can be in brevity described as suicidal, considering the fact that it was a critical period when economies were confronted with a Summersault, following the outbreak of the global pandemic, the "Corona Virus". This was further worsened by the fact that the beneficiaries were heart wrenched that their expectations were prematurely aborted, as hope was in top gear for the FG to fulfill the permanency electioneering campaign promise.
The above statement is buttressed by a press release delivered by the former Special Assistant on Job creation, AIG Afolabi Imhuokede on October 2017. This promise that never came to limelight, further define governments intent as highly politicised, deduced from the fact that the permanency agenda which meant the direct absorption of beneficiaries into the civil service and private sector never came to fruition . This statement was nothing but a mare political hogwash, considered a potent instrument of vote garnering as obtainable during the 2019 general elections. Realistically speaking, the permanency was meant to be taken to heart by gullible beneficiaries who failed to do a feasibility check on the promise, knowing fully well that judging by all economic indices, anchored on existing realities, the dynamics that the Covid19 brought to the fore, escorted this agenda to a point of no near possibility. It was rhetorically possible but pragmatically a failure to absorb 500,000 Nigerian Youths into the civil service. This necessitated an extrapolation of the situations at a time which birthed my publications that took these series 1)2016 Npower beneficiaries and the proposed enhancement package. 2)Disengagement of 500,000 Npower beneficiaries and issues surrounding 3)Npower device collection;Matters Arising 4)Preference for exit package , Not a Witchhunt. 5)The pensionable ENTERPRENEUR and the CBN loan Offer. All as reflected on my Facebook page @Uwode Josephine. These piece of articles X-rayed the gains and drawbacks tied to the permanency agenda.
On November 2020, following numerous protests organised by the 36states Npower representatives and Coalition groups which turned out to be a way of holding the government by the throat to fulfill her promise of getting exited beneficiaries productively engaged, the Nexit portal was launched. The process of registration by beneficiaries was also constrained by issues of network glitches that encumbrance the application of a chunk of beneficiaries as anticipated. The Nexit received a huge welcome as it was perceived to be a beckon of hope and a compensation or alternative for the failed permanency promise which would have served as litmus test towards ascertaining governments commitment to the Nexit course. Undoubtedly , entrepreneurship has been empirically proven to mean the spark plug of modern economies with the twin benefits of employment creation and a boost to Gross National Product (GDP). However, the potential encoded in such a measure dwells on the creation of an enabling environment for businesses to thrive, made possible through access to capital to kick start and power already existing businesses.
The Nexit plan is designed to accommodate 500,000 exited beneficiaries and enable them access to soft loans (collateral and interest free loan), with the process ranging from application......trainings.....selection ........and loan disbursement. As enticing as this may sound, governments sincerity of purpose and commitment towards the actualisation of this plan can be tagged as adulterated. This is born out of the failed incessant promises on the part of the government for not allowing the fluid flow of the Nexit plan. A basic flaw associated with the promise, is the failure to commence the training process expected to lead to loan disbursement , officially made public and slated for the month of October, 2021 which at the moment ended in futility. With these hiccups horoscope which has led to heightened frustration on the part of exited beneficiaries , series of physical mega protests and online agitations have been launched all of which have ended exercises in futility.
The one million dollar question begging for urgent answers at this juncture are: 1) Is the FG awaiting the 2023 election as usual in order to use the Nexit programme as a campaign strategy as obtainable during the 2019 general elections? 2)If the Nexit is actually a plan, why does it lack the basic ingredients of a formidable plan which is timing?. The Nexit plan in terms of typology is not clearly defined as such cannot be tagged a short term plan or long term ? 3)Soft loan is expected to be consensual. At this point, beneficiaries have been made to consent to the Nexit loan without getting them abreast with the terms and conditions surrounding e.g The stipulated loan amount, moratorium, interest rate where applicable . These are factors if not scrutinised and discrepancies reconciled ,could lead to the automatic ruination of the potentials encapsulated in the Nexit plan.
One does not need to be reminded that retiring a seismic pool of unemployed graduates into an already saturated labour market could be very catastrophic. This is a sure return to the viscous cycle of poverty, contrary to the campaign objective of the ApC, hinged on reducing the ballooning unemployment rate of which the Npower seems to be instrumental towards its attainment. Thus defeating the very essence of the Npower initiative. With all these aforementioned inconsistencies examined, government's taunted interest exhibited and as eloquently manifested in the interplay of semantics such as soon, efforts in top gear, Nexit in the pipeline that all turned euphoria, it has become crystal clear that the only language government understand is violence and invariably redefining this era to mean that of AK 47. Amidst the Nexit programme, numerous empowerment programs have been rolled out such as NYIf,RRR e.t.c with the Nexit receiving little or no attention. The Federal Government is generally sitting on the necks of Nigerian youths and we no longer have the luxury of patience to condone government's excesses. We are choking by the day.
At this point, in as much as exited beneficiaries donnot subscribe to violence as enlightened minds, I am soliciting intervention of all sort from the general public capable of spuring the FMHDS and the apex bank (CBN) that are partners in this to deliver optimally the Nexit plan. If this Nexit plan comes to fruition, it will serve as a bailout for exited beneficiaries from the social menace of joblessness and youth restiveness. Since it has come to our notice that government is trying to play dirty politics with the Nexit plan, I also want to use this medium to sound a note of warning to the APC government that 500,000 Nigerian Youths is an army of electoral gallantry capable of causing a political tsunami. We have the productive force to sweep in and out any unproductive government with the power tied to our PVCs. On this ground, we kindly appeal for government's maximum cooperation, to see to the smooth implementation of the Nexit /transition plan. This is to avert aggressive reactions from aggrieved exited beneficiaries that could be damaging to all parties involved as patience have been overstretched to its elastic limit. In every gathering there must be a Judah. The activities of some saboteurs amongst the exited beneficiaries cannot be swept under the carpet. Unconfirmed rumours of backlog payments speculated and protests most times scheduled for days when Mr president is always out of the country, further substantiates this claim. We advice such unscrupulous elements to desist from such dehumanising actions that indicates their crossing over to the Egyptian side.
Conclusively, my robust thanks goes to all exited beneficiaries that have been at the front burner of this course and have made immense contributions in the pursuit of the permanency/Nexit . As we live with a sense of optimism to see to the actualisation of our collective struggles and aspirations, I can only wish us all nothing but good luck as we surgeon to greatness.
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