N-Power Fires Back at Senator Danjuma Goje over Call to Scrap N-Power

The Gombe state office of the federal government social investment programme, N-Power yesterday replied the Senator representing Gombe central senatorial district, Danjuma Goje, over his call for the programme to be scrapped.

The state N-Power office debunked the claims by the  Senator that the state has no single N-Power beneficiary, describing it as "baseless and untrue".

N-Power Focal Person and Special Adviser to Gombe State Governor on Social Investment Programmes,  Hajia M.I Mele stated this during a parley with newsmen at the N-Power office in Gombe in response to the call by the Senator representing the Gombe central that the program should be scrapped.

Recalling that Gombe state is  currently enjoying the services of over 2800 beneficiaries of Npower providing services in the Health, Agro allied and Education sectors respectively, the N-Power focal person added that over 7000 beneficiaries from the 2017 recruitment exercise were verified and awaiting placement and postings.

She said it may interest the Senator to know that 2809 food vendors are currently providing highly nutritious meals to over 286,000 pupils in the state.

Hajia Mele said: "In his (Senator Goje) senatorial zone, 162 food vendors have been verified to provide 14,342 pupils with meals daily. In the senator's local government which happens to have the highest number of vendors and pupils in the state with a vendors roll out of 419 and 36,117 pupils, it is only laughable that the program is not being felt at the grassroots. In fact his ward is the second to Kumo in terms of vendors and pupils enjoying the feeding program.

"Yamaltu Deba local government happens to be amongst the 3 pilot LGAs for the conditional cash transfer program, a local government within the senators constituency.

"More than 200 cooperative groups from the senators constituency have so far applied for the government empowerment and entrepreneurship program (GEEP) and awaiting disbursements from bank of industry.

"This laudable effort is not just an individual thing but a collective work and sheer commitment of the National Social Investment Project office of the Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo, ably steered by the National Coordinator Hajia Maryam Uwais and team of experts. The State office can't thank the the Governor enough, His Excellency the Executive Governor Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo Phd OON, Talban Gombe for his unwavering support to the overwhelming success of the program.

"Lastly, we pray the National Assembly should key into the success of the program and appropriate more funds in order to maintain the tempo of the program and support the President Muhammadu Buhari's focus on poverty alleviation and socio-economic development".