NASSARAWA NPOWER VOLUNTEERS’ ROPOSED PROTEST: A CALL TO INCOMPETENT LEADERSHIP!!!

Nations governed by the deaf get faster and appropriate responses to their yarning promptly than our nation governed by the so called ‘elite’ cum ‘academics’. It is highly embarrassing, not only to this nation but to the pedigree of Pst. Laolu Akande (a renowned journalist), that the 200,000 Npower Volunteers – who are University Graduates have to resort to using PROTEST before they could get needed attention to the same Program this administration used to get the VOTES of over 65% youth-dominated Electorates of this country. Must protest be used to get a question answered and a demand met in this country of ours?

There is no state in Nigeria that does not have one challenge or the other, as regards verification, placement of volunteers to the place of primary assignment, selection of device and payment of stipend (December – February). One finds it difficult to question the competency of some of the States’ Focal Persons since the Emperor at the Federal Level ‘Pst. Laolu Akande’ display the highest level of ‘I-don’t-care attitude’ coupled with ‘I-can-only-speak-whenever-and-on-whatever-I-think-of-speaking-on mentality’. Everyone now behaves as a government in his own capacity.

From Lagos State where their Focal Person suddenly becomes in-existence, to Osun where their Focal Person becomes helpless and restless, down to Ebonyi State that makes money off their volunteers and now to Nassarawa State where their powerful focal person (Muhammad Musa Dan’azimi) shut the door of Verification Exercise against over 65% Volunteers that missed the state’s unannounced verification exercise for the period it lasted.

Tomorrow, Lagos Npower Volunteers are surely going to embark on peaceful protest while Nassarawa is planning to join. Our experience in discouraging Lagos Npower Volunteers from embarking on Protest the first time, won us a lot of names calling from the State’s Volunteers. They thought we had a political agenda and probably, we were paid to stop them.

Consequently, we decided to stand neutral and never to discourage or stop any State’s Npower Volunteers from embarking on a peacefulPROTEST – since PROTEST is the medicine that heals our leaders of their deafness and ineffectiveness. We stand resolutely on the fact that; if any of these PROTESTS is hijacked and leads to the LOSS OF LIFE or INJURY of this ever-vibrant and ready-to-work young unemployed graduates, the present government and those at the helms of affairs shall be held responsible and shall never be forgiven - as posterity will surely judge them.

We received this letter from Nassarawa State a few minutes ago, and we think our ever ‘sensitive’ government and leadership shall quickly rise up from their slumber to give answers to the questions of these ever-ready-for-dialogue youth/Npower Volunteers within 24 hours:

‘Dear Sir,

I want to thank the Executive Director of ISERH for responding to many challenges facing Npower Volunteers and also pleading with my colleagues in Karu LGA in Nassarawa to suspend tomorrow's protest 27/02/2017 which I believe ISERH will help us to address these problems facing Nassarawa Npower volunteers. ISERH has been responding to challenges right from registration, to test and to this stage of stipends’ challenges. In Nassarawa state, nobody has benefited from Npower - the volunteers are yet to be communicated to on what is happening to Nassarawa volunteers. 

To mention but few; 

(1) Many volunteers missed the physical verification, hoping to be called for verification and that is yet to happen.

(2) Those physically verified by the focal person (MUHAMMAD MUSA DAN'AZIMI) in December 2016 have not received stipends neither have they been deployed to places of assignments. I have reported these many times. I was asked to bring the contact of the focal person which I don't have and I submitted the contact of the woman who did the verification in Karu LGA. ISERH replied my mail that the woman was contacted and that soon the Director of NOA in Nassarawa will be spoken with and all the problems shall be resolved. All volunteers in Karu LGA have planned a peaceful protest for tomorrow 27/02/2017.

I am calling on the Executive Director of ISERH to help address these issues. Thanks as I await your reaction.’

In as much as we believe in the greatness of our country, we lack confidence in our leaders…

Abdulahi Abayomi Abdulraheem,

Exc. Dir., Initiative for Sound Education, Relationship & Health (ISERH)

Program Impact and Evaluation Fellow, Points of Light/Generation On (USA)

Atlas Corps Fellow, USA