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From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
The ProActive Northern Initiatives (PANI) has urged President Bola Tinubu to lift the suspension on the N-Power programme because of its benefits to about 800,000 young Nigerians of northern extraction.
To this group, the suspension of the programme was ill-timed, retrogressive, injurious, and capable of worsening the fragile security situation in Northern Nigeria.
The group also called for the removal of Betta Edu as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation over her alleged “hasty and anti-masses decision” to suspend the social intervention programme designed to provide succour to millions of Nigerian households and northerners in particular.
Convener of the group, Isa Aliyu Musa at a press conference at the popular Arewa House, Kaduna highlighted some of the gains and achievements of the N-Power which include engagement of over 800,000 youths of northern extraction through poverty alleviation, skill acquisition, job opportunities, prevention of youth restiveness, among others.
The group noted the effort of the immediate past minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sa’adiya Umar Farooq under whose supervision the past administration was able to initiate and successfully implement several social intervention and poverty alleviation programmes including conditional cash transfer, school feeding, and empowerment programmes.
He said “The former minister had in collaboration with international relief agencies provided food and essential materials to internally displaced persons due to banditry, insurgency, flooding, and other natural disasters.
“Enrolment in primary schools and access to education increased astronomically due to the school feeding programme of Mrs. Farooq who personally went around to monitor the progress of the initiative which received wide commendations within the country and abroad.
“Healthy feeding by pregnant and breastfeeding mothers was another giant feat promoted by former minister Sa’adiya Umar Farooq through the provision and distribution of food supplements and lectures on how to promote a good health and hygiene environment.
“We expect the present administration to focus on expanding the programme for effectiveness so that more youth and households will be captured as beneficiaries.
“We believe suspending the programme will further worsen the precarious security situation in the north and expose our disengaged youth to the danger of potential tools of possible recruitment by insurgents and bandits,” he lamented.
“While calling for the immediate sacking of Minister of Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Betta Edu for undermining the will of the people, we urge President Tinubu to reverse the hasty decision and be sensitive to the feelings of Northerners,” he appealed.
