The Federal Government has approved the disengagement of 2,525 beneficiaries of the N-Power Programme for absconding from their primary places of assignment. It also warned that acts of dereliction of duty, indolence, absenteeism and indiscipline on the part of volunteers would continue to be dealt with decisively in line with the rules of engagement.

The N-Power Programme was introduced in 2016 by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration as a job enhancement scheme aimed at imbibing the learn-work-entrepreneurship culture in Nigerian youths within the ages of 18 to 35 for graduates and non-graduates.

About 500,000 youths spread across the 774 local government areas of the country are currently enrolled in the programme and have since been deployed to teach in public schools, act as health workers in primary health centres, as agricultural extension advisors to smallholder farmers in the communities and as community tax liaison officers.

Beneficiaries under the graduate category receive N30,000 per month. Confirming the development, the Communications Manager, National Social Investment Office, Justice Bibiye, said that 18,674 other beneficiaries of the initiative had voluntarily resigned, having secured permanent employment.