A large number of former N-Power beneficiaries have taken legal action against the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the National Industrial Court in Abuja. The lawsuit concerns the government’s failure to pay their stipends and entitlements for a full year, despite the beneficiaries having rendered service.
The aggrieved beneficiaries, represented by their counsel, Barrister A. A. Hikima, filed the case listing the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Accountant-General of the Federation, and Mr. Akindele Egbuwalo—the National Programme Manager of N-Power—as the first to fourth defendants in the suit.
In a prior development, Chronicles Reporters had in November 2024 reported a petition submitted by human rights lawyer, Barrister Deji Adeyanju, to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda. The petition highlighted the prolonged delay in the payment of allowances owed to the N-Power beneficiaries.
According to the complainants, they were not paid their monthly stipends for a period covering October 2022 to September 2023. They insisted that although the federal government eventually suspended the programme, they had been deployed to various places of primary assignment and served during the said 12-month period before the suspension came into effect.
In the suit filed on July 17, 2025, the beneficiaries are asking the court to declare that the government’s failure to pay them their dues for services rendered is both unlawful and a breach of their rights under Nigeria’s public service employment laws.
The plaintiffs are also seeking a declaration that the refusal of the authorities to settle the outstanding allowances amounts to an unfair labour practice and a breach of globally accepted labour standards.
They urged the court to issue an order compelling the defendants to pay all unpaid stipends and entitlements owed to them. Additionally, they are demanding the sum of N5 billion in general damages and compensation for the hardship they have endured.
Furthermore, the claimants are seeking an additional N50 million from the defendants as the cost incurred for filing and pursuing the legal action.
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