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House to probe Obasanjo's $10 bn expenditure on power
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Obasanjo
The House of Representatives yesterday mandated its committee on Power and Steel to commence a comprehensive and thorough investigation into how the sum of $10 billion was expended by the past administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo on Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) without any commensurate result.
The committee is to report back to the House in the next four weeks.In a motion sponsored by the minority leader, Ali Ndume and 103 others, the House is disturbed that the last administration spent huge sum on power generation, transmission and distribution without commensurate result being achieved.
Ndume Noted that power supply is one of the requirement for industrial, technological, economical and social transformation of any nation.
“We are worried that the level of power generation in the country is worsening. Insted of 4, 500 Mega Watt installed capacity, it is generating 3000 to 3200 mega watt” he said.
Sanni Saleh, Kano who is the co-sponsore of the motion said questions need to be asked on how the money said to have been wasted on power generation by President Yar’Adua.
He punctured the the last administration’s reforms of the power sector saying it is a grand eception and does not address the basic needs of the people.
“Governance is about addressing the basic material needs of the people. It is not about doing big and huge things that will not affect the lives of ordinary people positively. When we say that we are doing reforms in this country we introduce things that actually imact in such a negative way on the most vulnerable segment of our society, that is not governance. In my opinion, all the reforms of the former President with the exception of the pension reform which is people oriented, all other reforms does not affect the people in any way” he said.
Saleh said looking round the country there is nothing to warrant or justify spending $10 billion on power reforms. “It is just one of the largest deception ever visited on this country. Even if we do not have anything to do with power transmission, generation and its distribution and you come and meet Nigeria as virgin territory and spent $10 billion come off it you should have something to show for it. So realy i just believe questions must be asked”. Patrick Obahiagbon, Edo in his contribution to the debate on the motion said he had the opportunity of visiting Manbila power project and what he saw a pitiable level. He said the power sector was one of the sectors in the country where alot of corruption has been committeed in the past. “The World Bank made us to understand that eighty percent of corruption in this country is carried out in the Presidency. As we speak here this morning, this hallowed chamber is being run on generator. Let us not do something that will make us to cry to Abacha to wake up” he said.
Farouk lawan on his own said if the House could take its time to X-ray the amount actually expended on the power sector it will discover that it is more than the $10 billion that President Yar’Adua raised alarm on.
He said the former adminstration of Obasanjo went as far as spending extra budgetary allocation on the project.
“I believe this is criminal, this is an issue that concern all of us and am in total support of the House conducting thorough investigation into this matter to know who are those involve and how much was really expended on this project” said farouk.
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