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Nigeria: Power Sector Probe, Heads Will Roll - House
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Vanguard (Lagos)
23 March 2008
Posted to the web 23 March 2008
Leon Usigbe
Seven days of testimonies at the public hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on Power and Steel organized to unearth the mystery behind the huge expenditure of $16billion on the sector with no commensurate results has confounded Nigerians with the amount of colossal waste the power sector turned out to be in the eight years of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
It started like what sounded like an innocuous remark by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, who posited while receiving in audience World Bank's Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili that his predecessor expended about $10billion on the sector while at the helm of affairs with virtually nothing to show for it.
The House of Representatives, however, viewed the revelation seriously and through a multi-partisan motion sponsored by its Minority Leader, Hon. Mohammed Ali Ndume, but backed by over 100 other members, mandated its Committee on Power and Steel led by Hon. Ndudi Elumelu to investigate the claim and report back to the entire House for further action.
Before the committee could settle down to its assignment, it came to light that the amount spent on power especially the National Integrated Power Plants, NIPP, over the period may in fact be more than what the president disclosed as, according to the speaker of the House, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, there was another $6billion extra budgetary expenses on power during the period under review.
He said this while outlining his plan to adopt an "input-output and outcomes approach" in the legislature that would ensure transparency, accountability and good governance, saying "only if we plan like this and monitor output periodically would we be able to prevent a situation where $16billion was spent on power reforms with negative results."
His plans may have come too late to save the billions of dollars that have apparently gone down the drain but Bankole demonstrated a resolve to avert such development in the future by throwing his full weight behind the House's resolution. Once it was decided to probe the sector, the House moved quickly to dispel insinuations that it was targeted at former President Obasanjo as, according to its chairman of Media and Publicity, Hon. Eziuche Ubani, it would be insulting to Nigerians to suggest that it was targeted at the former president or any individual for that matter.
According to the House spokesman, "Anybody who says that is trying to take Nigerians for granted because, several times, we had probes that didn't lead anywhere. What we are doing is a very simple thing. We are trying to audit the power sector in the last eight years and the take-off point is, do we have a problem with the power sector in the country? The answer is yes. Does it affect every part of this country? The answer is yes. Which home in Nigeria does not feel the impact of the failure of the power sector in Nigeria? Almost everybody."
He said that the lawmaker could not continue to turn their backs on issues as important as energy saying, "Are we going to shut our eyes and allow things to continue like that? Businesses are leaving the country and relocating to neighbouring countries, to Ghana, wherever.
It will be irresponsible of anybody of us to sit down and then make a law to target anybody. That would be taking Nigerians for granted, playing with the mandate Nigerians gave to us. That would be rubbishing Nigerians." He stated that the House was particular about finding a lasting solution to the long-standing problem of the power sector more especially as the lawmakers were responsible for appropriating moneys for such endeavours, adding that "what we are trying to do is to find a way to solve a problem because a lot of things have been done to be able to turn around the power sector and it is not working."
The House spokesman stated further: "The point is that we want to find out why those things are not working. We've thrown a lot of money into the sector. A lot of money was thrown at the sector in the last eight years. Therefore, if we appropriated those moneys given to that sector, we also have a right to ask questions.
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"Not just the money aspect. We are trying to review the process, the policies and the programmes to see if there is anywhere that is not connecting, why we still haven't been able to solve the problem even by half. Then in the process, if there are evidences of waste or corruption or whatever that would be incidental to the hearing or investigation. Anybody who connects that to politics about one man who was president of the country or so is trying to insult Nigerians. That's not what it is."
With this in mind, the committee invited memoranda from government officials who served between 1999 and 2007 including former ministers of power, three of whom- Liyel Imoke of Cross River State, Danjuma Goje of Gombe State, and Olusegun Agagu of Ondo State - are now state governors. Ditto the former chairmen of the Senate and House committees on power which included another serving state governor, Gabriel Suswam of Benue State.
Others that had been expected to present memoranda are former ministers of finance, all Auditors-General of the Federation, Accountant-General of the Federation and Attorney-General of the Federation, all governors of Central Bank of Nigeria within the period, special assistants to the minister of power, the Inspector General of Police, the Armed Forces, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, state governors and embassies of foreign countries, local government chairmen, ministerial departments, civil society, labor, corporate organizations, Nigerians in Diaspora among others.
We want heads to roll, enough is enough and besides,we better start doing away with the attitude of having sacred cows in our society because that,s what,s obtainable the world over.The time has come to start to reposition that country with a view to making things more possible and eradicating most of the clogs in the wheel of progress,a lot of talk, but i,m optimistic it,s achievable if only we as a country are ready and willing to effect these changes.Holding people accountable for their sins (BIG OR SMALL) is an important and big first step.Big thieves are... [Read Full Text]
I agree that heads should roll. The only way to stop the criminal corruption that has gone on and on is to make the people who are responsible for it accountable by law.
Only when the punishment is not worth the crime will people think twice. Obviously the power sector was seen as a black hole that could absorb their rampant greed and opportunism. And it did.
If you continually look the other way, someone will steal from you. Shine the light and let the cockroaches scurry away!
The whole issue shall surely forster the culture of accountability in the country. The ability to probe and to get to the roots of similar facts alongside the positive attitude of various election tribunals shall contribute a lot to the fight against corruption.
''YOU CAN FOOL SOME PEOPLE SOMETIMES BUT YOU CANNOT FOOL ALL THE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME''.
How can a government official be telling us that they are not trying to target anybody that to think that is to insult Nigerians. Oh for heavens sake do we need anyone to tell us that some people should be in Jail right now. Please we are talking about US$16 Billion not 16,000 Naira. That money should be enough to supply constant electricity to the whole of West Africa. If the President cannot arrest Olusegun Obasanjo and all his cohorts then he should be... [Read Full Text]
As a matter of fact, l was not surprised by the size (the bigness) of the maggots coming out of the pandora box of the power scam.l am only afraid of what will follow the public hearing findings and recommendastions.Over the years, tribunals,public hearings etc have come and gone along with their findings and recommendations-down the drain!After all the efforts and costs involved, l won't be baffled if eventually the accused persons come out to campaign for political posts or even get nominated for important portfolio.I sincerely appeal to all involved especially the members of the committee and Mr. President... [Read Full Text]
I am skeptical that current administration has the political oomph to prosecute Obasanjo or any other high profile member of the previous administration; many observers have argued that Obasanjo was more instrumental in Yar'Adua's presidency than the general Nigerian electorate. I'll assume that this is not the case (yes I know, I am ludicrous). Then Yar'Adua's administration still needs maturity and a strong judicial arm to allow the past administration to be prosecuted without Yar'Adua granting "pardons" to keep Obasanjo's associates at bay. Obasanjo is not losing sleep over any of this, he endorsed Yar'Adua. Yar'Adua can't afford to turn... [Read Full Text]
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