Betta Edu Media Support- BEMS

01/11/2023

27/10/2023

Happy Birthday Ma'am

27/10/2023

Betta Edu Media Support- BEMSBEMS congratulates their Boss on her Birthday!
says,
Happy birthday Mother, Leader, a great philanthropist, a humanist, a kind hearted woman...Dr Betta Edu

May you continue to flourish in all areas of your endeavors.
God guidance, protection and abundant grace we wish you always
Aged Graciously ma'am!

27/10/2023

It's my birthday

Thank you Lord🙏

~~ DDr Betta EduEdu

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26/10/2023

Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund: Edu rally support from the private sector. Engages Chevron, MTN, others

The Chairman and members of the Federal Executive Council of Nigeria on Monday approved the creation of the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund which is a flexible form of financing that is designed to help Nigeria adequately respond to humanitarian crises, emergencies and internal displacement challenges as well as adequately address the issue of poverty in the country.

This innovation by President Bola Tinubu administration was discribed by many as another knock out punch to Poverty and humanitarian crises in the country as it provides a readily available pool of funds from Government, Private sector, other countries, Philanthropic individuals etc to address the National social safety programs targeted at poverty alleviation as well as humanitarian emergencies with out bureaucratic bottle necks, setting Nigeria at a global stage ready for action.

As part of the process to actualities success, serious engagement has begun with the private sector and others on ways to achieve their buy-in and contributions to the success of the Trust Fund. The minister who met yesterday with the General Manager Policy Govt, and Public Affairs Mr Esimaje Brikinn and Mr Sam Daibo Director Government Affairs following a brief engagement with the President of Chevron Clay Neff in New York on the side lines of UNGA78. Commitment was elicited from Chevron on expected support to Nigeria on humanitarian and poverty alleviation, especially in the Niger Delta. The fine details will be worked out in subsequent meetings.

On the same note the minister held a strategic meeting with Mr Tobechukwu Okigbo the Chief corporate Services officer ahead of the Meeting with the MTN foundation on their support to the Trust Fund which will be used for Humanitarian Response and Poverty alleviation in country.

The Regional Head of UNHCR and the acting country director has also pledged their commitment in the support of the Nigerian government to achieve results.

# Renewed Hope

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24/10/2023

FEC Approves Setting Up of Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Monday approved the establishment of a humanitarian and poverty alleviation trust fund as part of the administration’s efforts to cushion the economic hardship on vulnerable Nigerians.

President Bola Tinubu, who presided over the weekly FEC meeting, conveyed the approval to the cabinet members in attendance at the State House.

Dr. Betta Edu, minister of humanitarian affairs, who briefed State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, said the fund is expected to garner up to $5 billion annually from Government, Donors, Private sector, Philanthropic individuals, and other innovative forms of resource mobilization.

According to Edu, there would be a governing board that would supervise the implementation of the fund.

The minister said the governing board “will involve key stakeholders that are relevant to the process”.

“This is a flexible form of financing that is supposed to help Nigeria adequately respond to humanitarian crises, emergencies, and internal displacement challenges as well as adequately address the issue of poverty in Nigeria,” she added.

“This of course is a victory for the poor and indeed, would bring help and succor which the Renewed Hope Agenda stands for.”

She said the council also approved the ratification of the African Charter protocol on the protection of the rights of older persons in Nigeria.

“We have signed up to the African charter and this has made us one of the countries within Africa that has approved that older people be protected and should not be discriminated against at any level,” Edu said.

“This gives older Persons a lot of protection and the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is interested in their welfare and protecting their rights.”

In September, Edu, while speaking on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States announced the setting up of the trust fund. These are some of the implementations of some of the resolutions the President and his Delegation reached at UNGA78

Edu said 30 percent of the funding is expected to come from the federal government while the balance of 70 percent is expected from donor agencies, the Private sector, other Nations' Development partners, etc.

According to the minister, the fund would have several governing cadres with a structure that would show accountability and transparency, while reducing bureaucracy in putting up an adequate response to humanitarian challenges in any part of the country.



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23/10/2023

My Week -In-Review ( 17th -20th October, 2023)





~~ Dr Betta Edu

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22/10/2023

Meeting at Hague; Edu Secures commitments of EU, Netherlands, to support Nigeria in Job creation to tackle Poverty and irregular migration.

It was indeed a fruitful meeting where the Honorable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Dr Betta Edu secured the commitment of the European Union, the Government of Netherlands, and Ministers on areas of immediate support to Nigeria to create jobs for its teaming youthful population as a means of eradicating poverty, unemployment and irregular migration in line with President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda for Nigeria.

The meeting had the European Union Commission Director General for International Development Erica Gerrestsen, The minister for Justice and minister of Security Netherlands, Netherlands Secretary General Ministry of Foreign Affairs Paul Huijts, Netherlands Special Envoy for Migration Peter Schuurman, Head of Section Sahel, Africa, and Great Lakes Tijmen Rooseboom, among others. On the Nigerian Government delegation, was the Ambassador of Nigeria to the Netherlands Dr Eniola Ajayi, The Federal High Commissioner on Refugees Migrants and internally displaced Persons Hon Tijani Ahmed, the representative of the Minister of Interior Hon Olubumi Tunji-Ojo; Mrs Dukpe, Representative of CG of Nigerian Immigration, amongst others.

Part of the commitments include the visit of the Netherlands and EU leadership to Nigeria on situation analysis and key stakeholders engagement, support for the implementation plan for poverty Alleviation in Nigeria, and the return of Netherlands Long stay visa issuance from the Netherlands embassy in Ghana office back to Netherlands embassy in Nigeria amongst others.

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20/10/2023

Preventing humanitarian crises and reducing illegal migration; Betta Edu Co-Chairs a meeting of EU, 48 Country ministerial Reps To Discuss Young Migrant Issues In Netherlands.

Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu says the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu is giving young Nigerians productive opportunities with pioneering innovative ideas through different startup initiatives.

Edu who was joined by the European Union and representatives of 48 other countries in Hague, the Netherlands capital, made this known during her opening remarks in an event to discuss disturbing migration issues involving young people in Africa and the world.

Co-hosted by Nigeria and the Netherlands, the Minister was leading the Nigerian delegation to the Thematic Meeting of the Rabat Process On Migration, Youth, And Development taking place in the Netherlands capital.

Dr. Edu noted that exploring the connection between migration, youth, and development was important as the youths between ages 15 and 25 years, who make up 16% of the world's population are a growing mobile demographic that could play a significant role in fostering positive development.

She further disclosed that "In Nigeria, like in other parts of Africa, the youth have developed a robust startup ecosystem, attracting over 2 billion USD in investment between 2015 and 2022.

"In 2022 alone, 107 startups in Nigeria, founded by persons between the ages of 25 and 35, attracted over 800 million USD in investment"

Aside from Nigeria, Dr. Edu stated, "In Egypt, startups raised 791 million USD and South African startups raised 993 million between 2015 and 2022 according to Disrupt Africa’s 2022 startups report"

The Minister expressed delight that the youth are not only pioneering innovation through tech startups but are also making significant strides in the creative industry, education, medicine, science, leadership, and sports.

On the Japa(migration of skilled persons) syndrome in Nigeria, Dr. Edu explained that a good number of the migrants faced myriads of challenges in the countries of their migration.

"In Nigeria, the Japa Syndrome, which refers to young highly skilled workers and university graduates, migrating in their numbers in search of better education, better-paying jobs, and self-actualization, in Europe and North America, has become a hot-button topic, especially when you consider that in 2022, diaspora remittances to Nigeria, stood at $21.9 billion.

"However, these young migrants are faced with diverse challenges in their quest for new opportunities and avenues for expression, such as the dangers of human trafficking, smuggling of migrants, sexual abuse, poor living conditions overseas, organ trafficking, modern-day slavery, and other forms of exploitation.

"A recent survey of immigrants in the United States indicated that almost 50% of migrants between the ages of 15 and 35 years of age surveyed, had experienced some form of depression or psychosocial challenge", she added.

The Minister expressed optimism that the thematic meeting would provide a platform to deliberate on the challenges faced by young migrants, as well as celebrate the achievements and innovations of the youth. She called on the developed countries to support the middle and low-income countries to create jobs and an enabling environment for their youths in their country as this would reduce the pressure on these young people to migrate and seek greener pastures elsewhere.

Netherlands Secretary General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Paul Huijts, said the meeting was focused on a shared commitment to promote meaningful participation opportunities for young people and ensuring that they meet their needs to address the root causes of irregular migration.

Huijts commended President Tinubu for the appointment of Dr Betta Edu, a young professional in his Cabinet to oversee Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation which also supervises the National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internationally Displaced Persons, saying unbroken cooperation on migration, and solutions for intelligence growth of young people cannot be needed at any time other than now.

"As part of our commitment to actively support young people, we need to engage in dialogue and change the best practices so that our efforts continue to address their needs.

"Let us listen to challenges that young people in our country face like poor education, unemployment, low number of youth, and women's leadership and involvement in national international decision making. For Nigeria, President Tinubu is indeed changing the picture of leadership and increasing daily the youth and women's inclusion in governance.

The European Union Commission's Director General for International Partnership, Erica Gerretsen, said the essence of the program was to engage participants to increase their voice in leadership policies and decision-making.

"Giving Voice also means building narratives to get a positive story about the migration of young people and the potential they have to contribute to the development of their country rather than seeking illegal migration.

"We are leading by example by strengthening the institutional engagement in the European institutions.

"Our EU boards for international partnerships is a group of 25 young people from around the world, which was established in 2021, to advise on youth participation and empowerment, as well as helping to use our policies to change the narratives in countries "she explained.

Other Speakers at the event include the Morrocco Foreign Affairs on Africa Cooperation and Abroad, Fouad Kadmri, Monica Zanette of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) as well as Nigeria's Ambassador to the Netherlands, Dr. Eniola Ajayi among others.



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20/10/2023

The Renewed Hope Plans of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu received another International Support from the King of Morocco, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, when the Ambassador of Morocco to Nigeria, His Excellency Ou Ali Tagma, paid me a courtesy call at my office in Abuja.

The Strategic Partnership Meeting centered on support from the King of Morocco for the provision of durable solutions to persons affected by humanitarian crises in Nigeria while working with the Federal Government to eradicate poverty, and other issues around migration and youth empowerment.

Africa must strategically collaborate to eradicate poverty. We have a lot of sectors to encourage collaboration between both countries.



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15/10/2023

( 8th-15th October 2023)

~ Dr Betta Edu

15/10/2023

N-POWER 8 MONTHS DEBTS TO BE PAID SOON, AS INTERNAL AUDITS AND INVESTIGATIONS LEAD TO RECOVERY OF FUNDS HELD BY CONSULTANTS FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.

The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation has recovered funds held by the consultant for several months. The National Program Manager of N-Power, Mr Akindele, made this known following the meeting held with representatives of the N-Power beneficiaries.

“The good news is that the funds were recovered yesterday and you will be getting your money soon. Payment for N-Power Beneficiaries Batch C who have been owed for eight months will begin soon” he said

The National Program Manager revealed that the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Dr Betta Edu, has been working round the clock to arrest irregularities within the Program and other social investment programmes.

“These irregularities have made the common man lose faith in the ability of the Government to provide social safety cover for its population but Dr Betta Edu is taking all necessary steps to resolve these issues and deliver the Renewed Hope Mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Nigerians” he assured

“Many irregularities which hitherto had sabotaged the smooth implementation of the Program are being addressed. It would be recalled that on assumption of duty, it was noted that many beneficiaries did not receive payment for their monthly allowances while monies were been held up by the consultant managing the enrollment and payment system whose contract had long expired. The good news is that the money has been recovered and it would allow for payment of beneficiaries”

This and more are irregularities that the Honorable Minister is committed to resolving to create a good foundation upon which the Renewed Hope N-POWER will expand to reach 5 million young Nigerians.

The National Program Manager has called on young Nigerians to be patient as the restructuring is in their best interest and it will lead to the expansion of the program to accommodate millions of Young people.

“President Tinubu is committed to eradicating Poverty and he will deliver on it.” He added

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14/10/2023

First of its kind; President Tinubu Includes Veterans and families of Fallen Heroes In Conditional Cash Transfer and other Social Intervention programs.

Federal Government Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has included vulnerable ex-servicemen, Widows, and dependants of fallen heroes in the National Social Register to benefit from the Conditional Cash Transfer and other Social Intervention programs.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu disclosed this during an official visit to the Ministry of Defence Headquarters, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Edu said the federal government has expanded the welfare scheme to accommodate ex-servicemen, their widows, and dependants in fulfillment of the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's promise to Nigerians.

The Minister said the innovation became necessary to include those who paid the Supreme price for the Sustenance of the peace of the country and their dependants to serve as a morale booster for those currently securing the country.

She sought accurate data on the affected ex-servicemen and their dependants to enable them to be captured in the ongoing national social register verification

'' This scheme is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's renewed hope agenda and I am here to inform you that the program has been expanded to accommodate retired personnel of the Ministry of Defence mostly families of those who lost their lives in the course of defending the country.

"Their wives can use this to start small businesses that will help their children stay in school provide basic health care and even sustain the families. Of course, your Excellency, this guest show is not only for the 75,000 in their household. she added.

The Minister said the federal government has created the Government Enterprise Empowerment Program (GEEP) which is geared towards helping small-scale businesses and boosting the welfare of Nigerian market women and farmers which the ex-servicemen and widows can key into.

Dr Edu equally called on the Ministry of Defence to collaborate with the Humanitarian Ministry to ensure President Bola Ahmed succeeds in eradicating poverty in Nigeria.

She reiterated her Ministry's readiness to ensure that those who served the country meritoriously and died in active service are not left behind in the scheme, The minister also requested the Minister of Defence to provide adequate security cover for Humanitarian workers while going about carrying out their national assignment in all the states prone to Insecurity.

In his response, the Hon Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, said the visit was timely and thanked Dr Edu for including the retirees in the welfare scheme which he said, would go a long way to renew the hope of retired officers and their families and motivate the working officers to secure the Nigeria territorial integrity.

The Defence Minister who was accompanied at the event by his Minister, Bello Mattawale said be rest assured that the Defence Ministry will collaborate with its Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation counterpart to ensure proper coordination of the scheme.

"We want you to send our sincere appreciation to Mr. President for doing the exceptional by considering us we thank him for giving you this opportunity to help the nation and also we thank God for allowing you to be innovative on the job that you're doing. When you met the Chief of Defence Staff, the words came to round that you are supporting the military, all our team became delighted" he said.

On his part, the Chairman of Nigeria Legion, Major General Abdulmalik Jubril (RTD), thanked President Bola Tinubu and Dr Edu, for the innovation, saying "This has never happened before"

He said the Nigeria Legion is the last hope for retired officers which he said keeps increasing in numbers.

The legion he said will need health care, welfare, and livelihood for its members

'" This organ of the Military(Army, Airforce, and Navy) retirees need government support, such gesture like this has not been given to us before including wives and families of the fallen heroes''.



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14/10/2023

UAE, Other Global Initiatives to Partner Federal Government to Reduce Multi-Dimensional Poverty in Nigeria.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has expressed readiness to partner with the federal government in tackling humanitarian and poverty challenges in Nigeria. It commended President Ahmed Bola Tinubu's efforts so far in that direction.

UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Al Shamsi, made this known when he led a team from the embassy and Noor Dubai Foundation to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in Abuja.

The Envoy who described the relationship between his country and Nigeria as symbiotic, said; "Nigeria remains a strong ally of UAE and we would continue to partner with Nigeria in key areas like humanitarian aid, job creation, Nutrition, health care development and poverty alleviation"

Responding, the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, applauded the government and people of the United Arab Emirates for their timely interventions in critical sectors in Nigeria. The Minister specifically thanked the Ambassador and his team for taking steps to support Nigeria in many ways. She noted that the President has a great plan to eradicate Poverty under his 8-point agenda and has begun full implementation as such it is important that they identify areas to collaborate for the good of Nigerians

Also Speaking, the CEO of Noor Dubai Foundation, Dr Manal Taryam, said the Foundation has been on humanitarian-related interventions including an eye treatment program which commenced with Katsina State while logos and Abuja will soon be launched. She said the Dubai Foundation has several areas, which directly link to the ministry’s mandate, and will be happy to support them.

Present at the meeting was the SSA to the President on Community Engagement SW Hon Moremi Ojodu and the SSA on school feeding Hon Yetunde. Amongst others.



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10/10/2023

Betta Edu, Zamfara Gov. Flag Off National Social Register Verification In Gusau, Zamfara.

... Governor Lawal Describes Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Minister As Positive Agent Of Renewed Hope Agenda!

Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, and the Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal have flagged off the verification of the National Social Register in Gusau, the state capital, with the Governor eulogizing Dr. Edu as the "Positive agent of the Renewed Hope Agenda."

Speaking during the flag-off in Government House Gusau, on Thursday evening, the Minister bemoaned the huge humanitarian crises facing Zamfara and promised that President Tinubu has directed her Ministry to work with the state government to alleviate the humanitarian and poverty challenges facing the people.

According to the Minister, "Zamfara needs immediate support, it is one of the states that in recent times have been affected by humanitarian crises. It has always been a flashpoint.

"We are very confident that we will be able to meet your needs and fulfill our obligations and commitments which is President Ahmed Bola Tinubu's resolve to reduce humanitarian crises and eradicate poverty in the country as encapsulated in his 8 points Renewed Hope Agenda.

"Because it calls for a sense of urgency, President Tinubu has directed that we must work harder to ensure that Zamfara residents fully benefit from all the intervention schemes of the federal government."

The Minister stressed President Tinubu's desire to see that every poor vulnerable Nigerian, wherever they may be in the country is pulled out of poverty. She introduced the verification team and charged the officials to be sincere and transparent in updating the Social Register.

She said the flag-off of the National Social Register in Gusau, Zamfara State, Northwest Nigeria, has clearly shown that the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu has no political inclination.

The Minister Promised the People of Zamfara State that the urgency their humanitarian needs deserve will be addressed, promising that aside from the expansion of the National Social Register, the state will be properly captured in all the federal government social intervention programs.

Responding, Governor Lawal lauded Dr Edu's zeal and dexterity in ensuring she delivered the mandate of her Ministry.

"In you, we see the positive agent of the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President. Honestly, I'm impressed with what you are doing across the country”.

"Taking the pains to visit us here in Zamfars shows Mr President’s love and concern for the people of the state and we thank you for that.

"Zamfara has suffered, in terms of insecurity and humanitarian crisis in the last 10 years and I call on the federal government to do more to secure the lives and properties of our people while asking for more social and capital investment in Zamfara State to take our people out of humanitarian crises and poverty.

Speaking further, the Zamfara State's number one citizen assured the Minister that the state would deliver to her Ministry, accurate data on vulnerable citizens needing the various social intervention schemes of the federal government including the Conditional Cash Transfer, (CCT) devoid of personal or political interest, but truly poor people.

He expressed gratitude to Mr President and the Minister for making the social intervention schemes available to the vulnerable indigenes of the state saying his administration was ready to partner with the Federal Government to ensure their successful implementation.

Earlier in his remarks, the National Programme Coordinator, of the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO), Hon Abdulaziz Danladi, said the team has been in Zamfara in different communities to verify and update the National Social Register in collaboration with the state government.

Danladi said the data of the Social Register met on the ground in Zamfara State was very encouraging, hence reducing their huge responsibility.

He revealed to the Minister and the Governor, the collaboration between the federal and the state team working together to get an accurate and acceptable register for Nigerians living in Zamfara State.

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10/10/2023

My week-in-review ( 3rd -8th October, 2023)





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10/10/2023

PRESS STATEMENT ON THE ONGOING AUDIT AND TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF N-POWER PROGRAM.

It is imperative to inform Nigerians, particularly beneficiaries of the N-Power program across the country, of the temporary suspension of the program.

This action has become necessary to give room for a detailed investigation into the operations of the N-Power in the last twelve months. The total number of persons enrolled in NPOWER since its inception to date is 960,000 people. Most of them have exited from NPower 1.0 and NPower 2.0 batch A and B

There is a need to audit the number of people in the program, those who have exited the program, those who are being owed, whether they reported to work or not, and how funds have been utilized over this period.

Recently, we discovered instances of program beneficiaries whose participation has lapsed since 2022 but have remained on and continue to expect payments from the government. In addition, some beneficiaries must honor their obligation to the program: They do not report to their places of primary assignments as required but still receive monthly payments. Some have other jobs and have left this bracket but are still benefiting from the payments, while those who truly worked are not paid

These instances have made the need for a thorough audit imperative, as we also look into claims of those being owed for up to eight to nine months' stipends to ascertain the veracity of their claims. The graduates & non-graduate volunteers Batch C1 & C2 are in this category. We want to establish the exact number of people owed and the total amounts, thereby eliminating ghost beneficiaries.

Preliminary findings of our audit have shown that some consultants are holding on to beneficiaries' funds disbursed to them long ago even when their contract ended in March 2023 without any renewal. We condemn this practice and will not tolerate it going forward. Work is ongoing to identify those involved, understand why the payments didn't get to the final beneficiaries, and recall the funds to pay those owed.

We appeal to Nigerians to understand the rationale behind the temporary suspension and investigation of the program as we work to restore the nation's confidence in the program and for the new N-Power to serve Nigerians better. Things have to be properly done for us to move forward.

This restructuring and transformation will also birth an expanded program to reach beneficiaries aged 18-40 (the previous age limit was 35). We are targeting 5 million beneficiaries in 5 years at a pace of 1 million per year under the graduate and non-graduate stream.

In addition, the restructuring will accommodate some new programs, in Education, Health, Work, Agriculture, Technology, fashion, entertainment, and other relevant areas of skill acquisition and employability.

To earn the confidence of Nigerians in the expanded program, transparency and accountability will be the benchmark. It shall no longer be business as usual as we make concerted efforts to put the nation on the right footing, ensuring that no one directly or indirectly unleashes suffering on Nigerians.

We assure all beneficiaries with genuine claims that we will resolve their cases once we complete the verification exercise and honor all valid outstanding obligations. Nobody will be owed.

Dr. Akindele Egbuwalo
National Programme Manager
N-Power

For: Honorable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.