20 proposed electricity projects located in minister’s LGA – Senators

The ding-dung relationship between the National Assembly members and the Presidency may not have abated as indication has emerged of some senators revealing 20 electricity projects proposed for a minister’s local government area.

Specifically the senators claimed the electricity projects were meant for Lau Local Government Area, the LGA of the Minister of Power, Mamman Saleh.

According to the Senate Committee on Power, the projects were contained in the 2021 budget proposal of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).

The lawmakers also accused the minister of uneven distribution of projects under the ministry and asked the REA Managing Director, Ahmad Salijo, to draw his attention to such inadequacy.

A report by The Cable, quoted a member of the committee from Taraba, Yusuf Yusuf of first pointing out the “lopsided” distribution of electrification projects in the ministry’s proposed budget.

 

He said most of the mini-grid power projects, ranging from N20m to N52m, were “all concentrated in one local government area”.

“That is the minister’s LGA. Twenty projects are in Lau Local Government Area,” he said.

Another member of committee from Kebbi State, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, said the minister’s alleged action amounted to abuse of office.

“The President wants to be the president of every citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Therefore, he would want loyalty and cooperation from every citizen of the country,” he said.

“If we sit down here and agree that a budget that pleases a minister can come, the minister is not doing himself good because he has sworn to do justice to all manner of the people and not to allow his personal interest to affect his official conduct and decision.

“He has by this clearly shown that he has allowed his personal interest to affect his official conduct and decision, and that is a very serious matter.”