President Muhammadu Buhari says his government will expand the N-Power programme from the present 500,000 beneficiaries to one million.

Buhari made the announcement in a message to commemorate the 2021 Workers’ Day celebration.

He said the expansion would ensure job creation and poverty alleviation through programme such as Safety Net Programmes to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Nigerian leader listed some socio-economic policies of his administration.

Read also: We Will Continue To Prioritise Workers’ Welfare – Gbajabiamila

He mentioned the increase of the Conditional Cash Transfer for the vulnerable poor from 2.6 million households (13 million persons) to 7.6 million households (about 32 million persons).

Buhari said the COVID-19 Rapid Response Register (RRR) for urban poor now has 4.8 million households (20 million persons) which include urban poor/working class.

He added that his government set up the Artisan Support Fund, Payroll Support Fund for small scale businesses and Business Formalisation to encourage medium enterprises by offering free registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

The President further said that the National Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) for entrepreneurs earmarked N75 billion for three years to support the labour force.