FG warns volunteers against selling N-Power devices

The Federal Government on Thursday warned that N-Power volunteers caught or implicated in the sale of the programme’s tablets would be dismissed.

The Presidential Aide on Job Creation and Youth Empowerment, Mr Afolabi Imoukhuede, gave the warning in an interview with our reporter in Abuja.

“Information reaching us is that some of our N-Power Volunteers are attempting to dispose their device, we urge you in your best interest not to do so.

“Once caught, you would not only be dismissed from the programme, you would be blacklisted from other federal government’s social Investment Programmes.

“A lien would also be placed on your bank accounts for the full refund of the asset cost to the Bank of Industry,’’ he said.

Imoukhuede recalled that N-Power is a Learn/Work/Entrepreneurship Programme of the federal government’s National Social Investment Programme for unemployed Young Graduates.

He reminded the beneficiaries that the devices currently being distributed to the volunteers were secured through an Asset Finance arrangement.

He said the arrangement was made with the Bank of Industry (BOI) for 20 months by the National Social Investment Programme.

“As such, the devices are to aid the continual learning and development of our volunteers, which seek to enhance their employability ready for the labour market when they exit the programme after 24 months.

“These devices are also their work tools as it would aid the discharge of their community functions in their primary places of assignment be it at the Public Schools, Primary Health Centres or the Agriculture Development Farm Settlements.

“In addition, these devices contain global knowledge content contributed by some of our global partners such as Cisco, Google, Microsoft on ICT, Leadership and Entrepreneurship for their continuous development,’’ he said.

The Presidential Aide warned volunteers that the employment office had devised means to gather such information and data concerning sold or unutilized devices.

It was reported that the federal government took over the remittances of the total cost of the devices to the asset finance partner, besides the N30,000 monthly stipends to no fewer than 200,000 volunteers.