Former president, Goodluck
Jonathan has reacted to the report that he was among the past Nigerian leaders
who wasted over N11tn on electricity.
The Socio-Economic Rights and
Accountability Project, SERAP, had on Wednesday disclosed how over N11 trillion
meant for the provision of electricity supply was allegedly squandered by the
administrations of former Presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua
and Jonathan.
SERAP, in the said report,
claimed that corruption in the electricity sector started during the
administration of Obasanjo in 1999.
Jonathan, while reacting through
his former aide on new media, Reno Omokri, described the report as false and
baseless.
He said the story was false and
the fruit of the laziness of the researchers who could have taken advantage of
the Freedom of Information Act that Dr. Jonathan signed into law in May, 2011.
His statement reads: “My
attention has been drawn to the story ‘Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan wasted
N11tn on electricity –SERAP’ published most prominently in The Punch newspapers
on August 10, 2017 and less prominently in other papers.
“While I cannot speak for others,
I can certainly say that as touching former President Goodluck
Jonathan, the
story is false and is the fruit of the laziness of the researchers who could
have taken advantage of the Freedom of Information Act that Dr. Jonathan signed
into law in May, 2011 to get records and data from relevant government
ministries, departments and agencies that would have given them a fuller
picture instead of the narrow view they have.
“Former President Jonathan could
not have wasted ₦11 trillion or any other amounts of money for the simple
reason that he was the Nigerian President who privatized the Power Sector
beginning on August 26, 2010 when he launched the roadmap to power sector
reforms and culminating on October 16, 2012 when the winning bids were
announced for the sale of power generating and distributing companies.
“SERAP may do well to remember that on Monday
the 30th of September 2013, at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Former
President Jonathan successfully handed over the bulk of Nigeria’s Power
Infrastructure to successful private sector bidders after they had made
payments for the assets they acquired.
“At that event, he said ‘I
congratulate our new owners who have taken over the engines and cables that are
expected to drive not just the electricity industry but also the socio-economic
well-being of the natio’.
“In total, the Power Holding
Company of Nigeria was split into six generation and 11 distribution firms, all
sold separately, for about $2.5 billion for which the Jonathan administration
received much deserved praise.
“In fact, rather than wasting
money, the Jonathan administration generated money for the federation from the
sale of these assets which were seen to be transparent and followed global best
practices.
“Between May 6th 2010 when he was
first sworn in as President to May 29, 2015 when he handed over power, the
budget for the ministry of power under Dr. Jonathan was not up to ₦400 billion
in total for the simple reason that his administration had succeeded in
transferring most of Nigeria’s power assets, liabilities and personnel from the
public sector to the private sector.
“As such, it is evidently clear
that any allegations that the Jonathan government wasted trillions is not a
well thought out allegation at best and is a figment of the imagination of the
makers at worse.
“I do hope those papers which
published this false report against the person of former President Jonathan and
the administration that he led will be honorable enough to set the records
straight for posterity.”
Jonathan, they have become giddy under the administrative weight of governance, hence they are spewing nonsense and inconsistencies. Change indeed they have brought!
ReplyDeleteThis Reno Omokri should be taught that most times when reference is made to Monies wasted on the power sector, it is not necessarily the PHCN as those who are in Nigeria (and not just shipped back to Nigeria to be mere Presidential aides ) know. But what is being referred to is not the funds wasted on the NIPP of the NDPHC. Just as he suggested of the SERAP that he called lazy, he should also avail himself of the said FOI bill which his hirer GEJ signed into law, perhaps he will then know if his hero can possibilly be exonerated.
ReplyDeleteI think Reno's explanations in clear enough. The SERAP report is lazy and false to say the least. It is in founded.
ReplyDelete