Scandal rocks Buhari’s employment exercise

- Youths in Ebonyi state enlisted for theFG’s N-Power documentation exercise havealleged thatorganisers of the programme are extorting them

- The unemployed youth numbering over 200 query why the organisers would insist that they must pay N500 before they will be attended to

Some youths in Ebonyi state enlisted for the federal government’s N-Power documentation exercise have protested against alleged extortion by organisers of the programme.

The N-Power is a federal government initiative to employ 200,000 unemployed graduates across the country and pay them a stipend of N30,000 monthly.

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But the exercise was marred by protests on Monday, December 5, when youths from the 13 local government area of Ebonyi state enlisted for scheme alleged that organisers of the programme were extorting them.

Premium times reports that the unemployed youth numbering over 200, who had besieged the venue of the documentation exercise as early as 7am, had earlier yielded to the directive of the organisers to go to Number 29, Gunning road, Abakaliki, and pay the sum of N500 to enable them be documented.

However, the youths became restive when the organisers directed them at about 230 pm to go back to their different local government areas for further directive.

Angered by the directive to return back to their council areas after waiting several hours in the scorching sun, the youths, converged at the entrance gate leading to the governor’s office and blocked the entrance.

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They insisted that either the commissioner for economic empowerment and job creation, Donatus Njoku, or any other government functionary must address them before they would vacate the entrance.

But after waiting for several hours without being addressed by any government official, the protesters went back to Number 29, Gunning road where most of them had paid the N500 and insisted on getting their money back.

The youths queried why the organisers would insist that they must pay N500 before they would be attended and called for the immediate arrest of those behind the extortion.

A mild drama, however ensued at the venue of the makeshift pay point when some unidentified hefty young men numbering about five drove to the place with a Hilux Van with registration number AKL 342 SB and bundled a young man and a lady stationed at the point to collect the money and zoomed off.

The youth, who suspected the act as an attempt to whisk the suspects away to avoid arrest, chased after the vehicle but their chase was in vain.

In another development, vice president Yemi Osinbajo has pleaded with Nigerians to exercise patience with President Muhammadu Buhari over the state of the Nigerian economy.

According to Vanguard, Osinbajo made the plea during his speech at a town hall meeting with selected a audience in Kano recently.

The vice president at the event expressed the confidence that Nigerians would come out of this recession happy.