Barau Jibrin: FG working to pay N-Power beneficiaries’ allowances

Barau Jibrin, the deputy senate president, has assured N-Power beneficiaries that efforts are underway to settle the N81 billion backlog of unpaid allowances owed from 2022 and 2023.

The reassurance came after the deputy senate president brokered a meeting on Tuesday between officials of the federal government, aggrieved N-Power beneficiaries, and Abba Hikima, their legal representative.

Jibrin said the beneficiaries, who had threatened to sue the government over the unpaid stipends, have now agreed to suspend legal action following assurances of payment.

“The beneficiaries came here to the senate to seek my intervention,” the deputy senate president said.

“I called the minister, and he was very responsive. There was a fruitful discussion that led to an understanding that the minister had already gone very far in making preparations for the money to be paid.

“So, having gotten convinced that there is a clear intention on the part of the government to get the money paid, they now decided to stay action on the legal route.”

He added that while the debts were inherited from the previous administration, the current government is committed to resolving the matter in line with the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

Speaking after the meeting, Abdullahi Gwarzo, minister of state for housing and urban development, confirmed the government’s commitment to paying the beneficiaries.

“We acknowledge the fact that we are owing them,” Gwarzo said.

“It was part of the 2022 and 2023 budget that was not paid to them. Because it was recurrent, it passed along with the year’s budget.

“There was no provision for it in 2024 and 2025, so we sought for it at the service-wide vote. We got approval, but it was late for last year.

“We are working on the approval for this year to ensure that once we get the budget implementation for 2025, we have to find a way of making those payments to the beneficiaries.”

Abba Hikima, the counsel to the N-Power beneficiaries, confirmed the suspension of legal proceedings.

“We have taken the assurances from the ministers and the deputy senate president in good faith,” he said.

“We are confident and hopeful that in the nearest future—within the year—the money will be paid.”

Kehinde James, chairman of the N-Power beneficiaries association, expressed gratitude to the senate and the ministries involved, saying the intervention has renewed hope among members.