Collection Of Fees For N-power Is Illegal – Fg Warns

BEVERLY HILLS, January 16, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government has declared that the collection of fees and charges by some state governments and local officials for participation in the social investment programmes is illegal and should be stopped.

This was declared by Laolu Akande, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity in the Office of the Vice President in reaction to allegations that participants were being exploited by state officials who demanded application fee for participation in the programme.

He declared that no scheme under the Federal Government's Social Investment Programmes, SIP, attracts an application fee and Nigerians should refuse paying anyone money.

“We have been receiving reports about instances where Nigerians are being asked to pay application fees for SIP forms. We want to make it clear that such action is illegal and could warrant criminal prosecution,” he declared.

“Let us make this very clear: in order to benefit from N-Power, you don't have to pay any application fees at all. The way to apply is to go online to the N-Power portal. But it is not open right now as we are still working on the 200,000 unemployed graduates already engaged.

“We are using a Community-Based Targeting template of the World Bank and as we have explained this is the mode of identifying the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable.

“We don't frown on such an effort as long as the information of the N-Power applicants are properly in-putted online. But we frown at anyone selling forms to Nigerians for this programmes.

“The rule affects everyone. No one should sell forms for N-Power or any of the President's Social Investment Programmes.

“That is exploitation and it is fraudulent.”