Ali Abare, Gombe
Contrary to claims by Sen. Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe Central) suggesting that no single person benefited from the Federal Government’s Social Investment Programmes (SIPs) in Gombe State, beneficiaries of the scheme said 548 of the N-Power beneficiaries came from Goje’s constituency alone.
This was disclosed, on Wednesday, when beneficiaries of the scheme from across the 11 local governments of the state met at the Education Resources Centre.
While debunking the claim by the federal lawmaker, the N-Power beneficiaries described Sen. Goje’s comment as “unbecoming and a disservice to the people of the state.”
Sen. Goje was recently reported to have called for the scrapping of the N-Power scheme because no single person from Gombe State benefited from the programme.
The N-Power beneficiaries numbering about 2, 900 in number, through their representative, Mohammed Wakili, N-Power Ambassador, insisted that Goje’s claim was completely inconsistent with the true situation on the ground.
“To set the records straight, Gombe State has 2, 900 persons currently benefiting from the N-Power initiative.
” Also, a total of 21000 persons applied for the second batch of the 2017 programme, 8, 251 were preselected out of which 7, 300 were verified and sent to the National office and if the 2018 budget is not approved the fate of this persons will be uncertain,” Wakili said.
Wakili gave a breakdown of the beneficiaries from Gombe State to include 548 from Gombe Central, 594 from Gombe South and 1, 692 from Gombe North.
“Our findings revealed that out of the over 446 beneficiaries from Akko Local Government Area, about 30 percent are from Goje’s electoral ward. Also, some secondary schools in Kashere (Goje’s hometown) are currently enjoying the SIPs schools feeding programme,” he said.
The N-Power beneficiaries called on Sen. Goje to, as former governor of the state and now federal lawmaker, exploit ways of confirming and sustaining the appointments of N-Power beneficiaries as well as other SIPs programmes based on their impact.
While calling on the Federal Government to not only sustain the programme but also work towards securing the beneficiaries permanent employment, the N-Power beneficiaries decried the call by Goje for the scrapping of the SIPs.
They equally showed appreciation to Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo and Hajiya Maryam Isa Mele, Special Adviser/Focal Person on SIPs, for their support in the successful implementation of the programme in the state.
