Surprisingly, the Lagos state section of the
scheme is yet to take off in earnest. Since late December till
date, it has been series of excuses from the Agency. The
participants are yet to be verified and deployed for
assignments. This prompted a constructive protest to the
State House of Assembly in Alausa by the applicants later
last month.
Image result for npower lagos scheme images
participants protest in January
In a peaceful manner, the protesters were able to pass their
message as to know why and when the scheme will fully
take off sometime in January. According to reports, The
Speaker, Rt. Hon Mudashiru Obasa, together with some
other members witnessed the protest. The protesters are of
the feeling that the promising scheme has been hijacked by
some unfortunate fellow within the scheme. A Petition was
written and forwarded to the State Houser of assembly to
that effect. Reacting to the petition, Hon. Tunde Braimoh,
Chairman, House Committee on Information and Strategy
has described the situation as “appalling, embarrassing and
flabbergasting” also urging that the House look carefully into
the issue and possibly instigate a probe.
With effect, the House invited the State Coordinator of the
Lagos scheme, Mrs Shola Falana. In the company of the
Honorable commisser of Women affairs and Poverty
alleviation, Mrs Lola Akande, the state co-ordinator asserted
that the participants would begin to enjoy the benefits of the
scheme at the end of the month (January). The Speaker, Mr
Mudashiru Obasa, however, urged the coordinator to ensure
that Lagos State is not short-changed while carrying out the
directive of the Federal Government and to also make sure
that applicants from the state receive paid the December
and January stipends.
Disappointingly, nothing specific was done to the effect as
the participants are still stranded and hoping for a
productive turn around. It is however sardonic to observe
that a scheme that is designed to uplift the unemployed
youth ids further damping the hopes and aspirations of the
youth.
As a suggestion for way forward, this cataclysmic
occurrence should not just be overlooked. Awareness
should be raised once again about this non functionality in
the Lagos scheme. According to reports, other states are
already getting paid and rendering services. Recall that
Lagos state has the highest number of applicants with over
11,000 applicants. If the scheme isn’t successful in Lagos,
then it is all trash. If possible, another protest should be
staged by the applicants this time capturing not just the
attention of the State House of Assembly but also the
Federal Government. A social media trend can also go a
long way in reaching far and wide before some unfortunate
underground alligators will maneuver and hijack the scheme
as usual.
Tell the world that # NPOWERLagosIsNotFunctional
# NPOWERLAGOSUNFUNCTIONAL pls seun help move to front page