The House of Representatives on Thursday resolved to raise an ad hoc committee to carry out a “comprehensive investigation into the alleged US$16 billion spent on power sector reforms without commensurate results.”
The resolution followed a unanimous adoption of a motion by Sada Soli (APC, Sokoto), who expressed worry that no individual, firm or government agency involved in the alleged misappropriation of billions of dollars, had been prosecuted.
This, he added, was despite the perennial epileptic power supply and its attendant socio-economic consequences for the nation.
The investigation is sequel to Section 88 (2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the House to expose corruption, inefficiency or waste in the administration or disbursement of funds appropriated by it.
“Recall that an investigative hearing was conducted by the House of Representatives in 2008 over the alleged spending of about US$16 billion U.S. on power sector reforms.
“The hearing revealed that contracts awarded for the Kainji, Egbin, Afam, and Ugheli power stations, as well as nine other such contracts totalling US$142 million, were never executed.
“While over US$50 million contracts were awarded to companies that did not exist, another US$2bn worth of energy contracts was awarded without bidding,” the lawmaker alleged.
He regretted that the set power generation target of 40,000MW by 2020, based on the alleged investments in the proposed power plants, had eluded the nation till date.
According to him, the Electric Power Sector Reform Act was aimed at removing the ineffectiveness of the sector in order to transform it into a more efficiently managed sector.
That, he claimed, would have opened doors for small and medium enterprises, thereby creating job opportunities for Nigeria’s teeming unemployed graduates to be meaningfully engaged.
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