$16bn power funds: You have case to answer, BMO tells Obasanjo

By Usman Shuaibu Abuja

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has called on former president Olusegun Obasanjo to put away name-calling and long-winded explanations to answer the simple question: Where is the power after the 16 billion dollars your government spent on power projects in Nigeria?
The BMO in a statement made available to Peoples Daily yesterday, signed by its Chairman, Hon, Austin Braimoh and Secretary, Chief Cassidy Madueke said,”
While the BMO acknowledges the detailed information provided by Chief Obasanjo in his response to a query raised by President Muhammadu Buhari regarding the issue, we note that the lengthy communication still failed to address that one important point.
“Nigerians may be many things, but they are not fools. They would definitely have been able to tell if the $16 billion allocated to power projects was actually expended as proposed. Even the poorest mathematicians among us would have been able to calculate the disbursement of that amount in the increased number of hours per day their light bulbs, television sets and refrigerators stayed on, and in the decreased hours their generators stayed on. It would have been impossible to not feel the impact of the $16 billion dollars on power, if the money had actually been spent on power.”
The Group said, “Chief Obasanjo exculpates himself by referring to probes and investigations which found him blameless. But, the fact remains that the invisible $16 billion power projects took place under his watch. As the commander in chief at the time, he should have been able to keep an eye on the huge funds he dished out to such a crucial sector of our economy, and monitor those who handled the cash. Most importantly, he should be able to tell Nigeria what became of the funds and why we still have no power after such a huge expense.
“Which brings us back to the question of President Buhari’s recent query? Chief Obasanjo, please, tell Nigerians: Where is the power after the 16 billion dollars your government spent on power projects in Nigeria?”.