Reps Urge FG To Unfreeze NSIPA Accounts, Reactivate Programmes, Pay N-Power Beneficiaries

The House of Representatives has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to unfreeze the accounts of the National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA) within 72 hours.

This resolution aims to enable the resumption of NSIPA programmes and facilitate the payment of outstanding stipends owed to 395,731 N-Power beneficiaries across the country.

The House further urged the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management to immediately address the administrative bottlenecks hampering the smooth operation of NSIPA’s programmes. The resolution will also be forwarded to the Senate for concurrence.

These decisions followed a motion sponsored by Deputy Speaker Hon. Benjamin Kalu, alongside Hon. Babajimi Benson, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, and 18 other lawmakers.

In presenting the motion, Hon. Kalu highlighted that NSIPA was established under the National Social Investment Programme Agency Act, 2023, with the mandate of empowering vulnerable groups, including unemployed persons, widows, orphans, and persons with disabilities. The agency oversees critical social intervention initiatives such as the N-Power programme, Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT), the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), and the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP).

Kalu expressed concern over the agency’s current operational challenges, including frozen accounts and administrative hurdles, which have persisted despite the reconstitution of its management over three months ago.

“The freezing of NSIPA’s accounts undermines President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the agency’s mandate to alleviate poverty and empower vulnerable Nigerians,” Kalu stated. He also highlighted that the suspension has negatively impacted the N-Power programme, leaving beneficiaries owed a total of N81.3 billion, funds already allocated under the 2023 and 2024 amended Appropriation Acts, which will expire by December 31, 2024.

The motion emphasized that these delays contradict the administration’s goals of poverty alleviation, economic empowerment, and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The lawmakers stressed the urgent need to restore public confidence and resolve these challenges to ensure the continuation of vital social welfare programmes.