Opposition warns PDP on $16bn power probe
Opposition party members at the House of Representatives have promised to stop any bid by the Peoples Democratic Party to hijack the ongoing investigation into how the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo spent about $16bn on the power sector between 1999 and 2007.
Hon. Ndume Mohammed Ali
They said that anybody found to have misappropriated funds would be penalised as against the recent experience of sweeping such issues under the carpet “in the guise of being a PDP family affair.”
The Minority Leader of the House, Alhaji Mohammed Ndume, who spoke with our correspondent in Abuja, said that the opposition was monitoring the revelations at the probe.
He added that the opposition would ensure that the House did not come under pressure to soft-pedal.
Ndume said, “For us in the opposition, we are not going to leave them; we are going to continue pestering them on that (the findings of the probe).
“It cannot be a PDP family matter; this is a Nigerian matter.”
Ndume, the sponsor of the motion, which led to the probe, however, observed that the current leadership of the House under the Speaker, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, was focused and would not derail.
According to him, the probe is taking place at a time the executive arm of government, led by President Umaru Yar’Adua, is preaching compliance with the rule of law and due process.
He added, “We are not going to compromise; there will be no compromise at all. Remember, we have a new government at hand.
“I just want to call on Nigerians to be patient and be optimistic. In the past, we had a lawless government; so you could not expect anything in the past.
“But, at least now, we have a government that is preaching the rule of law and due process.
“It is good for us; for once, let the committee (Committee on Power and Steel) come out with its recommendations and see what the government will do.
“I am assuring you that as for the House, we will leave no stone unturned.”
Beyond the public hearing, Ndume told our correspondent that the finding of the committee would go through “technical and legal analyses” so that the recommendations would be comprehensive.
“That is why we are saying let the investigation be done diligently and professionally.
“We will have to look for technical, legal and financial assistance to analyse the documents to come up with appropriate recommendations.
“I just think that we are leaving up to expectations; I thank God that we are leaving up to the expectation of Nigerians.”
The probe committee, which is headed by Mr. Ndudi Elumelu, has so far tracked $13bn out of the $16bn.
Revelations in the last one week showed that many contractors who handled the power projects collected over 65 per cent of their money but did not deliver their projects.
ENEGO Nigeria Limited, for instance, won a contract of N19.7bn, collected over N13bn, but performed less than 10 per cent.
The panel has also heard how only one contractor won contracts worth over N88bn without going through the tender’s board of the Ministry of Energy.
A German firm, Lahmeyer, also collected N370 million out N600m for the feasibility study on a power project but officials of the firm admitted that they had never been to the site of the project, among other revelations.
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