Bare 48 hours after opening the recruitment platform for N-Power batch C beneficiaries, the Nigerian Government said it has received over a million applications.
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Rhoda Iliya made the disclosure in a statement.
Illiya said while only 400,000 people will be recruited, “over 1,000,000 applications have been received from across the Federation in less than 48 hours after the Honourable Minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq, declared open the new N-Power.
“The number of applications so far received is an indication of the number of our youths who need jobs and the confidence in the programme,” illiya said.
She stated that all young Nigerians between the ages of 18-35 with or without formal education can apply for a slot in the new program which will focus on agriculture.
About 24 hours after opening the recruitment portal, there were claims by some applicants that the platform was hacked.
Dispelling the claims, Illiya said the “N-Power portal is secured and no data has been compromised. The portal is open for all Nigerians who meet the application criteria.”
She, however, assured Nigerians that the recruitment process will be transparent without favour to some individuals over others.
“The selection process would be fair and transparent and the public would also be carried along at every stage,” Illiya said.
The N-Power Programme was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016 under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) with the mandate of lifting citizens out of poverty through capacity building, investment, and direct support.
The programme has enrolled 500,000 beneficiaries so far with 200,000 from Batch A which started in September 2016 and 300,000 from Batch B which kicked off in August 2018 across the key industries targeted by the programme – agriculture, health, education, and tax.
Batch A will exit June 30, 2020, while Batch B will exit the programme on July 31, 2020.
She stated that the ministry will publish a list of successful applicants after it had reviewed their applications.