Four hundred and fifty thousand graduates will receive N30,000 each month as President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime ramps up its poverty programme’s efforts to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

The Federal Government on Monday in Abuja inaugurated the 510,000 N-Power ‘Batch C stream 1’ across the country.

In her keynote address at the inauguration, Sadiya Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, congratulated the successful beneficiaries, saying that the N-Power Batch C was divided into two streams (Stream C1 of 510,000 beneficiaries and stream C2 for 490,000 others).

She noted that under Batch C1, 450,000 would benefit under the graduate component, while 60,000 beneficiaries would be under the non-graduate component.

“Today, we are here to inaugurate the N-Power Batch C1. The N-Power graduate volunteers are entitled to a monthly stipend of N30,000 for a period of one year. The non-graduate beneficiaries are entitled to N10,000 monthly stipends for a period of nine months,” revealed Ms Farouq. “All beneficiaries are granted an appropriate starter pack for their trade to enable them to start their businesses in their chosen trades. By the special grace of God, I hereby flag-off the N-Power Batch C1 for the 36 States and FCT.”

She stressed that the ministry was committed to achieving the National Social Intervention Programmes (NSIP) strategic objectives.

Also speaking, information minister Lai Mohammed stated, “It avails the Nigerian youths the opportunity to acquire skills, to enhance their lives, and even create employment for others. I have no doubt that the lessons learnt in Batch A and B would be brought to bear in Batch C to achieve President Muhammadu’s Buhari vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.”

Similarly, Edward Kallon, the UN Resident Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs, said the onboarding of the N-Power Batch C stream 1 was another “milestone achievement” by the government towards lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of the NSIP, Umar Bindir, stated that since 1960, the different poverty alleviation programmes of the federal government had remained “only at a programme level.”

(NAN)