Reps panel, Fashola disagree over $1.5bn loan, German consultant
PDP to boycott Edo council poll, accuses EDSIEC of partisanship
HOUSE of Representatives committee on power yesterday disagreed with the minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola over the $1.5 billion loan it obtained for electricity distribution in the country.
The loan was obtained on behalf of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
This was revealed at an investigative hearing by the committee on power on the interim manage- ment of the TCN over a $1.5 billion World Bank loan facility and its adherence to the Fiscal Responsibility and Public Procurement Acts.
Disagreement also ensued over delay in the execution of the National Electricity and Gas Improvement Project (NEGIP).
But Fashola said his productive time was being wasted due to duplicitous nature of the probes over the activities of his ministry.
He urged the House lead- ership to streamline the number of hearings involving his ministry so that he could concentrate on the task of achieving results.
His words: ” We have a letter dated December 20, 2017 and that letter is issued under the name of one Nnamdi D. Onuigwe Esq, Committee Clerk.
“The letter from the House stated that it had constituted an ad-hoc committee to investigate the Fiscal Responsibility and Procurement Acts by the TCN. It was pursuant to House resolution 114/ADHOT/TCN2 of the 20 December.
”Now, we were waiting to be invited by the ad hoc committee when we got this letter asking us to come today, signed by Committee Clerk, Ibrahim Sidi, pursuant to House resolution 189 of 5th December 2017.”
Fashola also faulted the committee decision to hire a German consultant, Ron Van Arnault, who he accused of working for Manitoba, a company that he said, caused the problems faced by TCN leading to the probe.
He argued that the consultant apart from having
THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said the party would boycott the local council poll following a case it instituted against the Edo State House of Assembly (EDHA) over election matters.
State Chairman of the party, Dan Orbih made this known yesterday at the party’s rally tagged: Meet Thepeopletour in Igarra and Auchi, headquarters of Akoko-edo and Etsako West local councils of the s t a t e .
Orbih said the reason for boycotting the council election was because EDSIEC did not comply with the relevant sections of the constitution on electoral matters and as such the PDP has gone to court to challenge the process of the electoral law as amended by the EDHA.
He questioned the membership composition of the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC), alleging that registered members of some political parties were offi- worked for Manitoba, also benefited from contracts awarded without procurement approval in the ministry, and would not be totally professional in providing advice to the committee.
He explained that the procurement of TCN facilities were contracted out even before the assumption of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, adding the major preoccupation of the ministry was to execute the projects and ensure the distribution of 7,135 megawatts generated across the country.
But Chairman of the Committee, Daniel Asuquo cers of the electoral body.
He also alleged that the EDSIEC, headed by Prof. Stanley Orobator, has concluded plans to announce the election results before the actual conduct of the election scheduled for Saturday, March 3, 2018.
Orbih noted that until the state government complies with the relevant provisions of the Nigerian constitution, the PDP would not participate in what he described as an “illegal process” leading to the conduct of the council election.
He said: “What we have in Edo State is that EDSIEC is not dependable, reliable and is not competent to conduct any election in the state.”
While lamenting the incessant attacks and killings of Akoko-edo indigenes by suspected herdsmen, he urged the people to keep faith with the party by encouraging and mobilising its members and supporters to get registered in the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) to enable them vote and insisted that Fashola lacked the powers to determine who the committee engages as consultant.
Asuquo alleged that he had text messages exchanged between Fashola and the consultant where the minister solicited his professional advice.
He said: “Just as you have your reasons for taking decisions, I also have my reasons for hiring Ron and it’s not up to you to question our decision”
Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara restated the commitment of the legislature to tackling challenges in the power sector. bring about positive changes in the country.
He sympathised with families and victims of herdsmen attacks in Akoko-edo Local Council, saying the state government has failed the people in the area of security by giving herdsmen a strong presence in the state.
Also, a former governorship candidate in the state, Osagie Ize-iyamu, has urged members of the party who are interested in contesting positions in the local council election to wait for the outcome of the court process instituted by the PDP to challenge the conduct of the council poll.