Npower Batch C2 Stipend Payment: Why no Payment before Christmas

The Batch C2 Npower beneficiaries have remained eager to know when the Npower Batch C2 Payment would commence.

It is understandable that the Batch C2 Npower beneficiaries who started work official on 4th October 2022 have not recieved any Stipend, two months into the programme.

Preparation were in place to ensure that the Npower Batch C2 Payment commenced between the first and Second Week of December 2022.

As earlier scheduled, the Npower Batch C2 October Stipend was planned to be used to test-run the payroll system, and subsequently followed by the November Stipend.

However, there are serious indications that the Npower Batch C2 Stipend Payment would delay further.

Reasons why Npower Batch C2 Payment is being delayed:

1. Ongoing ICPC Investigation

There is a serious ongoing investigation in the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over diversion of NSIP Funds.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, in a press Statement on Tuesday has confirmed that some personnels of the Payment Service Provider (PSP) involved in the payment processes of beneficiaries participated in some sharp practices which is under investigation.

Sani-Gwarzo explained that some of these Personnels have been invited for questioning, which included a Popular Popstar, Daniel Oladapo aka D’banj.

Read about DBanj's involvement in the Invstigation here: Update on the arrest of D'Banj over Npower Fraud - the True Story

Just few days ago, DBanj was released on Self-recognizance, implying that he may still be invited for further interrogation as investigation continues.

Sahara Reporters had reported that an insider within the Ministry disclosed to them that over 70,000 ghost N-Power beneficiaries were introduced by top government officials and fraudulently diverted billions of naira into their pockets through the means.

"70,000 names were infused into N-Power by officials of the Buhari regime in the last four years.

"The fake list costs Nigeria N2.1 billion per year while original N-Power candidates are left unpaid."

A different source also disclosed to Sahara Reporters that another 20,000 Ghost Npower beneficiaries were recently discovered, which was used to divert N600 million. The list of the 20,000 Ghost beneficiaries was named DBanj List.

"Today when his lawyers arrived for his release, they were told about this fresh list containing 20,000 names. This list was being used to divert N600 million monthly from Nigeria in the last two years by Buhari government officials. The list containing 20,000 names has been bleeding Nigeria N600 million monthly over the last two years. It's named DBanj List."

Similar investigation happened in 2020 soon after the Npower programme was moved into the ministry. For two months, the Batch A and B Npower beneficiaries were owed.

2. Deployment

The Npower Management could not directly make all that has been happening public but stated that Npower Batch C2 Payment would begin after deployment.

One would wonder, how many Batch C2 Npower beneficiaries are waiting to be deployed that would delay the Npower Batch C2 Payment to over 300,000 beneficiaries that have been deployed and resumed work since October 2022.

The Deployment of the remaining Batch C2 Npower beneficiaries is a strategy to keep the beneficiaries in a circle while the investigation was ongoing.

Only very few people knew about the ongoing investigation until DBanj, a Public Figure, was named and arrested.

As a Batch C2 Npower beneficiary, you might have noticed disappearance and reappearance of Deployment data lately on the NASIMS portal at www.nasims.gov.ng. It is a way to hold onto Deployment as a reason for the delay of the Npower Batch C2 Payment.

3. Npower Batch C1 Outstanding Stipends

Not until the investigation commenced, the Npower management had kicked off activities to pay-up all outstanding Stipends owed to the Batch C1 Npower beneficiaries.

Payment of Batch C1 August Stipend to beneficiaries whose previous payment failed was in progress until it was interrupted by the ongoing investigation.

In summary, the Batch C2 Payment can only commence after the investigation has been concluded, and payment approved by the appropriate offices.

The fact remains that the Npower Programme is not over and Npower Batch C2 is not a Scam. Patience is the only thing demanded to make things work better in the programme.