Breaking: Nigerian Minister of Power resigns

President Goodluck Jonathan has accepted the resignation with immediate effect of the Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji. In a statement, Jonathan thanked Prof. Nnaji for his services to the nation under the present administration and wished him well in his future endeavours. 

The reason for his resignation was not known but it may have been due to intrigues that have overshadowed the Federal Government’s bid to privatise the Power Holding Company of Nigeria.

Discussions between government and representatives of PHCN workers in Abuja were deadlocked again on Tuesday.

The meeting was at the instance of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim; the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu; and the Nigeria Labour Congress.

His resignation may not be unconnected with an Allegation earlier made by the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE)  that the minister carried out fraudulent activities in the power sector.

The Union had also asked Nnaji to resign immediately.

In a statement signed by Joe Ajaero, the Union's General Secretary, the group cited Professor Nnaji’s “vituperation on the workers, his fraudulent activities in the Power Sector and unnecessarily putting Nigerians under tension, as characterised by his myriad misinformation.”

They had also demanded that he explain, before the end of Friday, August 17, his role or activities in relation to several issues, including: "N395m collected from PHCN allegedly for the Media, for 3 months;  N280m collected from PHCN allegedly for Nigeria Army; N200m collected from PHCN allegedly for Unknown Project in the Power Ministry; N86m collected from PHCN allegedly for a bullet-proof vehicle; N3m collected from PHCN and donated to Enugu State University of Technology (ESUT); and Employment of 20 people in Enugu Zone of PHCN who are his kith and kins as staff two years after the closing date of casual employment, and close of PHCN biometrics exercise."

“He should also explain to Nigerians why we have been collecting pension and gratuity from 1972 till June 2012 based on 25 percent, and why his reform tends to short change the workers,” the statement read.