Vanguard (Lagos)
19 February 2008
PRESIDENT Umaru Yar'Adua yesterday took his first major step in ameliorating the current electricity supply crisis in the country when he constituted a committee for the Accelerated Expansion of Nigeria's Power Infrastructure with a mandate to deliver 6,000 additional megawatts over the next 18 months through the National Integrated Power Project.
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Probably because in a country that now trumpets the "rule of law", the contracts between Shell, Elf etc and the govt do not obligate them to build us power stations. Yes, they've benefited from Nigeria, but so has the country because they pay us for this oil. It's not their fault if we can't manage our house properly or if the oil dividends don't accrue to most of us. If we simply quit robbing the national purse, actually have a DETAILED plan to build one plant and FOLLOW THROUGH (perhaps even using such a plan as a future template of what to do or not do), we might begin to see some light. We should also have maintenance plans and PERSONNEL for keeping the plants we do have in good working order.
For Christ sake! what stopped the president to order NNPC and Shell to increase the Afam power plant from 750 to 7500 mega watt? After all NNPC and Shell had been stealing our oil in the name of joint venture. MObil, Elf, Chevron all should be ordered by Exeutive Presidential Fiat to build at least 5000 MW each or leave our oil alone. They have benefited from Nigeria and they should show concern for the problems we have.
None of them have any refinery in Nigeria but the do in South Africa that has no oil! Until we stop all this external rats that steal our oil, we will continue to stumble. I was once in Kuwait and it is 'HARAM ' for any IOC to drill oil in Kuwait. The president should sit tight , else he will fail like his former boss.