'My Power Project Story' By Olusegun Obasanjo

We are here screaming blue murder(i really wonder why). The house of reps. are just using this as a decoy to keep the citizens mind busy, i can't fall for this type of hoax any longer. Only in Nigeria somebody wins an election while in prison.

Praise the Lord, Niger delta has now been expanded to include Yoruba and Igbolands.

Amen

AND MAY SATAN RAIN HELL FIRE ON THEM ALL!

MAY THEM NEVER KNOW PEACE FOREVER!

1. There is no better place to praise or criticize the president than in the House of Rep. That is why they have a power to pass all kinds of motion for or against the president.

2. I say Amen to this point of yours.

3. We all know that Yar'dua by his annointment by OBJ is simply a continuation of his rule. If we don't get to the root of why we don't have power over the past 8 years, from where do you think Yar'dua will learn a lesson?

At the rate things are going, it should not be a surprise if the present power problems continue for the next 10-20 years.  

We're all shamelessly blinded by short term economic advantage, hopelessly drowning in our specific tribal allegiance, and buried by our own unique political affiliations that we cannot even acknowledge that there is a serious power generation and distribution problem in our beloved country.

Ironically many politicians from the country we copied our system of democracy would jump at any opportunity to address the House of Reps. on any issue whatsoever!

Despite the hew and cry from some people in this forum, I think OBJ is dying to address the House committee, just think about it, he could use the opportunity to reverse his dwindling political fortunes--- imagine seizing the moment from the media, his political enemies and friends.

Imagine OBJ and Atiku using the opportunity to answer questions to demonstrate how they have laid down their lives for this country!!! It would a spectaclar sight.

I don't suppose they don't know, because they have lots of good advisers.

I have discovered that the adage that says 'the empty barrel makes the most noise' is really true for some post writers here on Nairaland on baba's statement and issues of national importance. This Man is a Patriot. While Nigerians were basking in the Euphoria of Obasanjo's NIPP, we forget that we are getting into worse situation per day, the equipments bought with your money are there decaying where they are kept, and the contractors that have collected billions already from us are the same people we are messing up all over the place. How you do expect them to continue their work or expect to get result from them. Will a refund be possible fro an already started work. Think aboutit,

Anyone one who has been involved in multi million/billion naira contract will know jobs like that take time, not even to mention the nigerian situation: ministry settlements, bank/insurance delay and diaapointments, areasboys or nigerdelta youths, and you, the empoyee or employer.

Just the other day, my Chinese friend here in Nigeria was lamenting that Nigerians are lazy at work, I assisted him with the needed work force for a contract. Go to china and see the way work is been done there. Checkout UK, if you're working, your'e working, do we need CCTV installed at the work place for us to perform our jobs. We all want is get to the top but no one wants to climb, sorry but humans dont fly.

The problem with us especially the youth is that all we do is whin and cry , things are bad nigeria is bad, what have you done to makeit good, you dont need to be president to do that , ?, All the while House Reps were factfinding and witchhunting, things were getting worse and nobody saw it. HABA,  Nigerians. I have not seen in the past weeks of this discuss, any article offline or online that mentions the fact that the contractors be hastened up to complete their jobs or look at the loosing options for Nigeria.

The fact that baba is a two time ruler of this country goes to say alot. he should be given the respect due him. We thank God, now we have democracy, but even at that, we should exercise restraints when we discuss or handle issues of national importance. Politics is very much like religion or ethnicity , Volatile,  Respect higher authority, either by age or position, it is only by doing so that we ourselves get elevated.

Those that say Obasanjo did this or that anomaly are the same people who never really want to be a part of progress of our nation, ,  those are the people we call never constructive critics. INSTEAD OF FINDING SOLUTION, THEY ARE BUSY LOOKING AT THE PROBLEM!.

LOL

I always laugh when people use Niger Delta crisis  as an excuse for the delay. How come the militants can't stop crude oil production in the Niger Delta? The oil companies still produce. Did the contractors complain to government and govt refused to provide security?

For me, it's really inexcusable. Government could have deployed the JTF to provide security if the threats were real.

Are they saying for as long as the militants are there, the projects won't be done?

These things are driving me crazy here.

Hello Bluesky,

My submission is that, we should tread softly when we accuse our leaders, I can humbly tell you that many of the participants on this forum are people who are one way or the other related to the powers that be. it could go as far as being a friend uncles's sister husband thats the present senate president or permananet secretary.

It is true that the head bears the brunt for the body, but at the same time the head requires the support of the entire body to perform, thats how it is with goverment. If we continue to castigate our leaders the way we do, only mediocres will apply for political positions and people below you will get to leadership position.

There is nothing wrong with asking for accountabiltiy, but the mentality of labelling one as 'guilty as proclaimed' without hearing is the bane of the Nigerian public. We rush to conclusion,  its a problem. We should be more humane to political discussions and our leaders. I see a lot of backstabbers everyday on TV, people who ate and dined with our leaders but when there are issues to deal with, solutions to be proffered (that is when they start looking at the problem)  they deny and castigate just to get to the headlines as not in support.

Obasanjo and Atiku's appearance before the committee would simply turn it into a greater circus - either their 'enemies' would use the opportunity to ridicule them and make pot shots, or the men themselves may resort to playing to the gallery - either way, it would not have caused anything more than additional fodder for the tabloids.

@ fyneguy

you are really being naive about your oil industry comment - if Shell's production has been cut down from over 1million bpd to less than half that figure today because of ND issues, how much more projects that are still in construction phase? Are you unaware of the times when Julius Berger and other contractors PULLED OUT of the ND due to insecurity? How many soldiers do you want to use to police the projects? lets be realistic in terms of the criticisms leveled please.

A big portion of this problem can be adduced to the current administration's 'rule of law' policy - refusing to allocate or disburse more funds 'until a proper costing of the actual requirement was undertaken by a completely neutral team because he has lost confidence in the bureaucrats in the Ministry of Power and Steel and the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN)'

So it took them a whole year to set up a panel to go round, who are still going round and have not finished?

It is delays like these that people overlook - If Yar'adua came in and decided to complete the crucial projects - Alaoji that was almost done , pipelines to Geregu and Papalanto, we would have seen a semblance of improvement now. The current near-blackout the nation is experiencing is being attributed to lack of funding again - why make these extensive delays worsen an already egregious situation?

@ Landis
The statement made about Mambilla was misleading at best - a $3.2 million feasibility study was awarded and was supposed to be completed in 15 months, there are conflicting reports as to whether this was completed or not, and it has not been resolved one way or the other

The other 'contract' was a $1.4billion contract for a 2600MW Mambilla Power Station, to be financed and built with a loan from the Chinese Exim Bank and a Chinese firm responsible for the Three Gorges Project ( largest hydro project in the world) built in China. In exchange the China National Oil Company was supposed to receive oil blocks, so far Engineering Design is said to be taking place. Apart from the $3.2m which could in all likelyhood have been embezzled (appropriate action should be taken against the firm if proven) nothing more has occurred with respect to Mambilla.

What do you expect to see on site? It took the Chinese nearly 14 years to complete the Three Gorges project, yet you expect a dam to be visible on site after a year? When the design and engineering have not even been completed? When the exact terms of payment have not been negotiated?

One other thing - why did Usman - minister of Finance have to announce this so called 'team going round' in Angola and not here at home? I suspect this is another round of playing to the gallery, this current government's stagnation of projects is as much to blame for the parlous situation as anything else.

Let the facts speak for themselves (at least with regards to power)

in the 15 years prior to the Obj regime, no power stations or transmission infrastructure was added to the existing stock, except for the completion of Jebba and Shiroro. In Obj's tenure large scale rehabilitation and the completion of 5 new generation stations (albeit hampered by gas supply and transmission issues) has been achieved. Obviously given the enormous extent of the problem, this  appears to be a mere drop in the bucket, but in terms of being 'better' - the assets on ground serve as evidence.

@ Uche

I would be the LAST person to say we hush up and just pat him on the back. He obviously could have managed the projects better, started them earlier and exercised more oversight. There is definitely some level of corruption/defaulting by contractors as well as collusion between government agents and some of these shady contractors. Anyone denying that is simply being mendacious.

The truth is that no one really seems to be interested in asking these questions - there seems to be more to be gained by saying OBJ wasted $16billion than really evaluating how much was spent and how much was misspent. If the Finance Minister is recently saying that their team is just beginning to evaluate how much was spent and all, how on earth did the outrageous figures initially put forward emerge? Did someone just dream them up and say them to appear intelligent or for cheap political gain?

Lets get this straight - OBJ of course takes the final blame for the failure of power generation during his tenure, whether due to unforeseen circumstances or conditions, the buck stops at his desk. Now the other pertinent question is, what degree of corruption/collusion was he involved in personally or did he have knowledge of? Let us get down to the nitty gritty and deal with the facts.

In all these allegations and counter allegations, the closest we have heard to OBJ was that Iyabo and her co-horts got a contract, which was later canceled with no payment. If there is any evidence pointing to corrupt enrichment let it be put forth.

What punishment/chastisement does OBJ deserve for the poor management of these projects?

This is what should be determined, along with the MOST IMPORTANT GOAL of all - making sure that the funds spent don't go to waste and deliver results as soon as possible, not all the posturing we are getting from the Yar'adua regime and the current Legislature.

baskin4me,
pls tell me one country of this world where the citizens are more patient than nigerians.
pls tell me among our politicians who after his tenure come back as anormal man.
99.99999% of nigerian politicians become super rich within their first year in office, is it the same in every other country?
are u not aware that nigerians are suffering? is it surposed to be so? pls reffer me to any other country of the world where is the only issue government looks into for a tenure of four years.
my dear, if you lack what to say, u can overlook the topic because checks and balances are the major xteristics of democracy.
if they are not hiding anything, let them go face the panel.

Thank you Debosky for your constructive comments on the thread, like I said on my first discuss of the topic, some people are just here to point accusing fingers. No matter what you tell them, all they are after is to down trod.

I wrote about non constructive criticism earlier, now we are having everything muddled up, the first time 'Uche2nna' is dishing out his best, the next time, he's saying somebody should tell his father to stop stealing,    what is that.

Does Nigeria belong to you alone such that all these things happening and those that have happened are only being felt by you Alone?, because you'll tell me now 'that the thing is paining you', thats why you are reacting so?, Realise that anyone that is President is a father to the people of the country irrespective of his tribal affinity, so if you call Obasanjo my brother or father, all well and good, but that makes him your father too since you're a Nigerian and not a Biafran.

Please all I have asked for is to be constructive and look at the problem, profer a solution and MOVE ON just as AFAM, Bluesky and Debosky are propagating, we dont need to brood over the problem for too long.

Our Elders say that ' he that tries to watch the stunts of the crab will wait endlessly by the seaside', we donot have to continue this way, what is the way forward should be our new song,

But u people sef suppose knw say the whole thing has something of the witch hunt about it

I dey watch the Abuja probe the other day and particular sections of the panel were trying to help
Rufai implicate Obj anyway possible.

Panelist: You had the ex President's authority to do X

Rufai: Yes

Panelist: In essence to commit a wrongdoing

Rufai: Please don't put words in my mouth

Panelist: I will believe you if the ex President pushed you to such

Like na wa sha.

Agagu came to the power probe and pretty much said exactly what Debosky is arguing here.

the two power plants in Ondo state, Omotosho or papalanto whatever are practically finished.

All they need is an extra input of two million dollars or so and a few hundred megawatts of chasis not Tokunbo enegy

will be available . But the Panel is so engrossed in its witch hunt, they are about to drop the ball on this one.



This witch hunt will not bring us more power and that is koko of the matter. More power.

If you haven't noticed, the mosquitoes in Lagos are getting more dare-devillish. Only Power go save us

from them.

Exactly, what it is. Stop stealing !!!

Thank you for your input 'Dangermouse',  Well said, 'Ono' your inputs are well appreciated too. All we need is way forward. the onus falls on us to chat a way for the growth of every sector of our country. Ghanians wont come and do that for us nor will Even the UK do it.

We need to engage the services of the bold and courageous amongst us to chart a way forward, we can start the positive engagements from Nairaland here, I only dont want Seun to see us using this medium to achieving socio-political ends. He's a Nigerian too and am sure he wont be averse to the idea of using his platform to improving the lots of our people.