Leadership (Abuja)
Philip Nyam
7 May 2008
Abuja — Former president Olusegun Obasanjo and his deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, have been summoned by the House of Representatives Committee on Power and Steel to appear before it on Monday, May 12, 2008, to explain their roles in the alleged expenditure of huge sums of money in the power sector between 1999 and 2007 without commensurate result.
The House is currently investigating the alleged expenditure of $16 billion on the sector by the Obasanjo Administration.
The chairman of the committee, Hon. Ndudi Godwin Elumelu, had confirmed that a little over $13 billion was actually invested in the sector between 1999 and 2007.
Also to appear alongside the duo is the former finance minister, Mrs. Nenadi Esther Usman, who is expected to give an insight into payments made to contractors and consultants on the National Integrated Power Projects from the excess crude account within the period she held the fort as minister.
The summons were contained in separate letters dated May 3, 2008, signed by the chairman and secretary of the
committee, Elumelu and Alhaji Salisu Yaro Ahmed, and addressed to Obasanjo, Atiku and Usman.
The letter to Obasanjo with reference number HR3/CT.47/26/Vol.1/103 reads: "The House Committee on power and Steel was mandated by the House of Representatives, vide Resolution No. HR/07/2008, to carry out a thorough investigation and conduct a public hearing into how huge sums of money were expended in the power sector from 1999 to 2007 without commensurate result.
"In carrying out this mandate, the committee has conducted a public hearing where oral testimonies were made by stakeholders from the public and private sectors. In the course of the hearing, references were also made to approvals and directives alleged to have been given by your Excellency as the then President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as in your capacity as chairman of the Federal Executive Council (FEC)
"In view of the foregoing, the committee at its meeting on Tuesday, 22 April 2008, unanimously resolved that, before submitting its report, it is appropriate to give you a fair hearing by inviting you to come and give an insight and perspective into what you know or your role in the execution of projects in the power sector from 1999 to 2007.
"In this regard, I am directed to invite you to appear before the committee on Monday 12 May, 2008 at 10 am in Conference Hall, Zero Floor, New Building, House of Representatives Wing, National Assembly Complex Abuja."
In the case of Atiku, he is expected to answer questions relating to the execution of power projects between 1999 and 2007 in his capacity as the chairman of implementation committee on NIPP.
The Committee on Power and Steel had earlier held a seven-day public hearing where key stakeholders, contractors and members of the public were given the opportunity to testify on the state of the power sector.
During the public hearing, former finance minister and now a managing director of the World Bank, Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, told the committee that former President Obasanjo waived due process in the payment of money on NIPP projects to contractors and consultants.
She also disclosed that Obasanjo authorised a loan from the Excess Crude Account to finance the NIPP scheme. The committee, however, discovered that the loan was obtained without the approval of the National Assembly.
Others who testified before the committee at the hearing were Cross River State governor Liyel Imoke, Benue State governor Gabriel Suswam and Ondo State governor Olusegun Agagu. Former solid minerals and later education minister Dr. (Mrs) Oby Ezekwesili, Central Bank of Nigeria governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, accountant- general of the federation Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo, and many others.
The committee, which is currently on tour of power sites across the six geo-political zones, is expected to end its on-the-spot assessment at the weekend, while the report is expected in two weeks. Chairman of the committee Elumelu has so far decried the poor execution of NIPP projects in the states and assured that the committee would not spare any contractor that failed to live up to expectations.
He said that during the tour the committee discovered that monies were paid for non-existent projects while some contractors who collected huge sums of money absconded after they were mobilised.
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