The plight of unpaid N-power beneficiaries
In a nation already burdened by widespread economic hardship and a growing trust deficit between government and citizens, the recent legal action filed by thousands of N-Power beneficiaries against the Nigerian government stands as both a tragedy and a symbol of resistance. On July 17, 2025, aggrieved beneficiaries of the N-Power programme once hailed as […]
In a nation already burdened by widespread economic hardship and a growing trust deficit between government and citizens, the recent legal action filed by thousands of N-Power beneficiaries against the Nigerian government stands as both a tragedy and a symbol of resistance.
On July 17, 2025, aggrieved beneficiaries of the N-Power programme once hailed as a flagship social intervention initiative dragged the federal government to the National Industrial Court in Abuja. Their demand is straightforward: pay us for the work we have already done.
According to their legal representatives, led by Barrister A. A. Hikima, these Nigerians rendered services from October 2022 to September 2023, were duly deployed, and fulfilled their duties at their primary places of assignment. However, they were never paid a dime.
In an era where government palliatives and employment programmes are brandished as tools to fight poverty, what happens when these programmes themselves become instruments of exploitation? How does a country justify engaging its young citizens under a government-sponsored initiative, only to later abandon them without compensation or explanation?
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The defendants in this case, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Accountant-General, and Mr. Akindele Egbuwalo, who coordinates the N-Power programme must now explain to a court of law and to the Nigerian people why these beneficiaries were left in the cold.
The demand isn’t just for the unpaid stipends, but also for N5 billion in damages and N50 million in legal costs. But beyond the figures lies a moral and constitutional question: Can a government that owes its own workers for a full year still claim to be fighting poverty?
The excuse often floated is that the programme was suspended. But even suspension is not retroactive. These young Nigerians worked before the suspension took effect. They were posted, they served, and they were counted among the faces of national development efforts. Yet, they are now treated as if they never existed.
More disturbing is the silence from the very ministries set up to address humanitarian needs and poverty alleviation. It is a cruel irony that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs is listed as the first defendant in a case about deliberate neglect and economic injustice.
Nigeria cannot continue to operate in a vacuum of accountability. If the rule of law still means anything, this court case must set a precedent. Not just for the sake of the N-Power beneficiaries, but for every Nigerian who believes that a government should be a protector, not an exploiter.
This is not merely a lawsuit. It is a cry for dignity, a fight for justice, and a reminder to those in power that no policy or programme is bigger than the people it claims to serve.
Yusuf Saidu Tara wrote from Yola [email protected]