How Npower Stipend Payment Changed My Life

                                

While many persons are complaining about how paltry a sum the npower stipend payment is, there are many persons who are effectively utilizing the money and turning their lives around for good. That is the case of Mr. Ochogwu Emmanuel a graduate of Benue state university. According to Mr Ochogwu Emmanuel who shared his story with the senior special assistant to the president on job creation Mr Afolabi Imoukhuede and his team, he graduated from Benue State University way back 2011 and until the npower scheme came along, he was unemployed and asking for money from his siblings before he could recharge his phone.In the video below, he explains how he was able to change his life with the npower stipend payments he received, and we include some highlights that might benefit you in this post.

All attempts at getting a job have failed woefully as corruption and nepotism which have eaten deep into the fabric of our system were his bane. It is no wonder that he explains that the first time he received the npower stipend payment of thirty thousand naira (N30,000), it felt like Davido's thirty billion in the account. The initial urge was for him to use the money to get a smart phone with which he can chat and twit, but he was able to successfully resist the urge. He used the npower stipend payment as a basis for assuring his friends and family of his ability to repay any reasonable loan he takes from them. That was how he raised the money (via loan) to start up a poultry farm. His poultry farm is growing and serves as a testament to the fact that despite the gross inadequacy of the npower stipend payment, the npower stipend payment can still be very useful in servicing your future if you but discipline yourself. As Jim Rohn will say, it is not the amount that matters, it is what you do with it. The carpenter from galilee was in unanimous agreement with this when he said:  "For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.

APPLYING THE EMMANUEL PRINCIPLE TO YOUR NPOWER PAYMENTS

What Emmanuel has done resonates with two core principles that npower advocates: #PassionToProfit and #ServiceYourFuture. In an earlier Facebook live chat (SEE NPOWER FACEBOOK LIVE CHAT HERE), Npower has already encouraged npower beneficiaries to start thinking about life after npower. They have emphasized beyond all reasonable doubt that there is no plan to retain beneficiaries after their two years have elapsed therefore, it behooves beneficiaries to start thinking of and implementing strategies for financial independence after the payment of their monthly thirty thousand naira stipend stops. 

Last week, npower asked existing beneficiaries what they have done or are doing to "service" their future. While a few beneficiaries mentioned the ventures they have implemented or working towards kickoff, the greater majority bemoaned the gross inadequacy of the thirty thousand naira npower payment. They wondered how they can be expected to do any business with so little an amount that barely takes care of feeding. Some even went ahead to say that those claiming to have  start up something reasonable with the npower payment were merely attention seekers.

Let us be real here, the npower payment is rather small and a difficult one to manage especially considering the high cost of living in many parts of the country. One will not ordinarily expect anyone to do meaningful things with such a meagre sum. The problem is further compounded by the fact that we live in a society where dependants believe that once you are a graduate, you should be their messiah. As true as this is, let us also rememeber that before npower payments, there was a time when we were not receiving this thirty thousand and we survived. Let us remember that just like so many persons complained about how exiguous nineteen thousand eight hundred naira(N19,800) was, some of this people ended up without a job and some are even teaching in mushroom private schools with a monthly take home of fifteen thousand naira (N15,000) only!! My point is that while thirty thousand naira is without question a niggardly stipend, there are people that are worse, implying the need to make the most of what we receive while showing some gratitude.


In order to apply the principle that helped Emmanuel to the management of your own npower payments, I believe five critical points are necessary:

1. UNDERSTANDING
2. SIMPLIFICATION
3. PLANNING
4. DISCIPLINE &
5. ACTION
In the next update to this post, I shall briefly discuss each of these five points that will help you manage your npower payments.