According to Premium Times, the musician was arrested and detained Tuesday after ICPC operatives closed in on him, forcing him to surrender himself at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, sources familiar with the matter said.

D’banj, insiders said, had dodged summons for weeks, claiming to be overseas for scheduled concerts each time he was invited to appear for interrogation over fraud allegation.

The pop star, a wealthy Nigerian celebrity, is accused of fraudulently diverting hundreds of naira earmarked by the Nigerian government for N-Power project, an empowerment programme set up by the Nigerian government in 2016 to address youth unemployment and increase social development.

Investigators allege that D’banj colluded with some compromised government officials to introduce ghost beneficiaries into the payroll of the scheme. The stipend paid to those beneficiaries are then paid to accounts that have now allegedly been linked to the pop star.

After the musician failed to show up for interrogation despite multiple invitations, the ICPC moved to arrest him anywhere in Nigeria and abroad, forcing him to show up at the commission’s office on Tuesday.

On arrival, D’banj was subjected to a prolonged interrogation session after which he was detained. His plea for administrative bail was rejected by officials who said the musician could not be trusted to attend his trial if released on bail.

ICPC might approach the court on Wednesday for an extended remand order to enable the agency complete its investigation before charging the musician to court.

The post Breaking: ICPC Arrests D’banj Over Link To N-Power Fraud appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.

Npower beneficiaries have been urged to login to their portal on https://www.nasims.gov.ng to confirm venue for physical verification which commenced on the 10th September, 2021 and will end on the 24th September, 2021.

The post N-Power Batch C: FG Opens Portal For Verification appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.

The post Just-In: FG Selects 510, 000 New N-Power Beneficiaries appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.

Sadiya Farouq revealed this at a ministerial press briefing to give an account of her ministry in the last one year in Abuja.

The Minister said the move is to boost the present administration’s goal of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years.

She said the President directed the Ministry to increase the number of N-Power beneficiaries from 500,000 to 1,000,000.

President Buhari also directed an increase in the number of beneficiaries of the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) by 1,000,000 and increase the beneficiaries of the Home-Grown School Feeding by 5,000,000.

“In a bid to realise Mr President’s commitment to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years, the ministry places significant emphasis on youth empowerment by strategically ascertaining youth engagement as a foundational objective in implementing the following strategies: double the scope of the National Social Investment Programmes.

“Mr President has graciously approved the expansion of all NSIP programmes. Such as increase of N-Power beneficiaries from 500,000 to 1,000,000, increase GEEP beneficiaries by 1,000,000 and increase of beneficiaries of Home-Grown School Feeding by 5,000,000,” she said.

About 3.7 million households comprising of more than 15.5 million individuals have been captured on the National Social Register, the Minister revealed, adding that the Ministry has developed a strategy for targeting the vulnerable in line with Buhari’s directive to expand the National Social Register.

“In championing Social Inclusion, deliberate efforts were made to capture vulnerable youth and groups which included Women, People with Special Needs, in the expansion of the National Social Register by one million households. Also, in the Economic Sustainability Plan, we have over 1,000,000 urban poor in the National Social Register.

“As of June 2020, 4.41 per cent of the total number of individuals captured in the National Social Register are recognised as persons with special needs. This comes to a total of 685,090 persons with special needs in the National Social Register.

“About 3.7 million households comprising of more than 15.5 million Individuals have been captured on the National Social Register. Of that number, over 2.8 million of the households which comprise of 13.5 million individuals are eligible for Conditional Cash Transfer. These numbers are spread across the 36 states and FCT. The numbers are further broken down to 7.6 million males and 7.9 million females as shown on the screen,” she said.

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