President Muhammadu Buhari says his regime has approved an increase in N-Power beneficiaries from 500,000 to one million.

“Considering the positive impact of our Social Investment Programmes, I recently approved an increase in the number of N-Power programme beneficiaries from 500,000 to 1,000,000,” Mr Buhari announced in his Independence Day address on Friday.

On the social welfare programmes of the federal government, the president reiterated the government’s commitment to achieving its goal of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.

“Out of this, 510,000 have started the programme while the competitive selection process for onboarding the outstanding 490,000 beneficiaries is in progress. The National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme is currently being implemented in 35 States of the Federation and the FCT,” he added. “Over 103,000 women have been engaged and empowered as cooks under the programme, while about 10 million pupils are being fed across public primary schools in the country.”

He added, “To grant increased access to credit to the most poor and vulnerable, I have directed an increase in the disbursement of Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme loans to an additional one million beneficiaries laying more emphasis on the smallholding farmers through the farmers Moni programme.”

Mr Buhari also pledged to address the widespread discontent and disillusion about the efficiency and probity of the nation’s civil service.

He noted that for far too long, the nation had neglected the centrality of the civil service as the engine of governance, which had manifested in ineffective service delivery.

“It is for this reason that we are refocusing the Nigerian civil service to provide world-class service to run our country,’’ said the Nigerian leader.

The president also promised to bring more youths into governance to address youth restiveness across the country.

He said the government would also continue to encourage girl-child education, female scholarship schemes, life skills, and digital literacy skills to boost girl’s enrolment, retention, and completion of schooling.

“The youths of this great country remain propellants for our today and provide guarantees that we would have a secure tomorrow. It is for this reason that I remain focused on expanding opportunities for their participation in politics and governance,” the president further explained. “Recent appointments of young people into positions of authority and their track record so far gives me confidence that we need to bring more of them into governance, and this I promise to do.”