allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Obasanjo's Perspectives On the Power Situation (Page 1 of 5)

Being the text of former president Olusegun Obasanjo's position on the power sector due to be presented to the House of Representatives Committee probing contracts in the sector

The Chairman and Honourable Members of the House of Representatives Committee on Power and Steel, I thank you for your letter of the 3rd of May 2008 received on the 9th of May 2008 inviting me to appear before you. In the said letter, you said that the invitation was to give me "a fair hearing on allegations and counter-allegations which were made behind me in respect of my role in the execution of projects in the power sector from 1999 to 2007".

Your letter which came to me on the 9th of May 2008 inviting me to appear on the 12th of May 2008 (the 10th and 11th being Saturday and Sunday respectively) did not specify or include details of the particular allegations and counter-allegations made before you by some persons who appeared before you to which you want me to reply or respond.

As much as I would like to assist your investigation, fair hearing which you referred to demands that these particulars ought to be forwarded to me and adequate time ought to be provided for me to prepare before appearing before you. The need for adequate time becomes more imperative since I have left the government since 2007 and I have no access to government data and information which are in the custody of the government.

It is my view that your task is not an easy one and nothing should be taken for granted. Since you have taken it upon yourselves to strengthen our practice of democracy which was re-established in 1999, and for which I was a key participant and nourisher between 1999 and 2007. As a democrat, I will like to do whatever is possible within the Constitution, the law and decency to help as you establish a new precedent of investigation and putting searchlight on the executive actions and duties after office. It is a precedent that may serve the country well or serve the country not so well. It is seen by me as healthy for our young democracy if it is carefully, fairly, justly and honestly carried out. I will hope that my response to your invitation will not be taken as precedent for other former Presidents to be so invited in future. It may be regarded as being in bad taste and that may be right. I chose to be here not because I see it as compulsory or mandatory. It is absolutely voluntary.

In general sense, democracy is a system of government in which the ultimate power rests with the people. In institutional sense, it is a system in which powers are divided or shared among institutions: Executive, Legislative and Judiciary. With the concept of democracy and good governance, we have a system based on good leadership, respect for the rule of law and due process, accountability and transparency. Your task must be to enhance these pillars of democracy and good governance and I am here just to assist you in doing that as a means of continued nurturing of our young democracy. Having said this, no institution of government should use its power to prevent or hinder the other institutions of government from being able to function properly, effectively and appropriately. I appreciate Section 88 of our Constitution which says that the National Assembly has powers to investigate any matter in which it can make laws for the purposes of making law, and that power and energy is part of such laws. However, in Section 148, the President has power to grant executive responsibilities to ministers, to hold regular meetings with ministers for determining the general direction of domestic and foreign policies and to coordinate the activities of ministers in the discharge of their executive responsibilities. The President leads a team and galvanises, mobilises and inspires that team into action. What I am saying here is that the privilege and the collective responsibility of the members of Executive Council must not be hindered by the way the National Assembly carries out its function, otherwise it may be difficult, if not impossible, for the Executive to carry out its domestic and, certainly, its foreign duties, policies and responsibilities. Each institution should carry out its functions in such a way to enhance its own performance and the performance of other institutions of Government. Going on from this point, I could say that having granted executive responsibilities to the minister responsible for power and, believing in the concept of collective responsibility of the Executive Council, I do not need to appear before your Committee since the Ministers responsible for Power and Finance have appeared on their own separate behalf and on behalf of the Executive Council. I have chosen not to go that way because I, personally, believe that we must all carefully, justly, fairly, sincerely and honestly continue to nurture and strengthen democracy, if the exercise you have embarked upon is not working to a pre-conceived answer.

May I draw your attention to the letter of 3rd of May received on the 9th of May headed "Invitation to Appear at the Public Hearing on the Power Sector". I observed that the letter was not authored or signed by the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Ndudi Godwin Elumelu. The signature is that of one Sahmed. As a matter of **** comment, I believe that courtesy and decency will suggest that a letter from any Chamber of the National Assembly to me as former President of this country, on a matter of this nature, will be signed by the head of the chamber concerned on behalf of the Committee or the Clerk of the National Assembly or, at the minimum, the Chairman of the Committee itself and not by a third party. For the reason of the way and manner your invitation came as well, I may choose not to appear and merely object to the manner of invitation. Again, I have chosen not to go that way. As Africans, we must respect age and authority. It is also a product of birth and breeding in an African culture. I hope members of the Committee will have something to learn from this exercise. Be that as it may, let me go to the points that will "give an insight and perspective into what" I know and my role in the execution of projects from 1999 to 2007.

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