Nigeria, Dec. 2 -- The federal government has given reasons why the monthly stipend given to N-Power beneficiaries has not been paid for the past two months.

N-Power is one of the National Social Investment Programmes (SIP) designed by the present administration to reduce poverty, unemployment and social insecurity among Nigerians. It involves the deployment of thousands of unemployed graduates to schools and other institutions to work there while the government pays them a stipend of N30,000 monthly.

The NSIPs were being supervised by the office of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, but has now been transferred to the newly created Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

In a press briefing on Mon...