Power C’ttee Budgets N835m for Food, Phones, Cars
By Yemi Adebowale, 08.07.2010

It seems the Presidential Task Force on Power recently set up by President Goodluck Jona-than is more interested in the welfare of its members and other trivialities, than concentrating on its key task of developing and driving strategies for the rapid improvement of electricity supply in the country.


In its 2010-2011 budget exclusively obtained by this newspaper, the temporary task force set up less than two months ago, has drawn up a budget to spend N835,888,830 million that will be funded by tax payers who continue to wallow in darkness.


Some of the notable items contained in the task force’s budget include items such as blackberry phones, phone lines and internet subscriptions, catering/ guest house expenses, international and local trips, sitting allowances, and expensive vehicles, among others frivolities for its members and support staff.
Presidency sources who expressed shock at the budget for what is in fact an ad-hoc committee, said yesterday that the 12 month budget might have been further reviewed upwards this week and “could be close to N1 billion now, with the addition of more irrelevant expenses that do not have anything to do with stemming power outages in the country.”


What they find particularly galling is that the task force chaired by Professor Barth Nnaji and which has Mr. Sullivan Akachukwu, a senior special assistant in the presidency as its secretary, is temporary and cannot therefore justify the attempt to expend close to N900 million in 12 months.
According to a source in the presidency, “The committee comprising 18 members is not a ministry, department or agency of government, it is nothing more than a committee and its work is supposed to be temporary.


“Is the task force trying set up another government bureaucracy which in the end would conflict with other MDAs statutorily set up to implement the power sector reform programme.
“The president only set up the committee to coordinate the activities of the relevant departments of government, and develop and monitor the action plan for the power sector reform programme, which should have been made public more than two months ago.


“It is meant to facilitate and enhance as a committee and not operate as a full blown bureaucracy.”A breakdown of the task force’s 2010 capital expenditure of about N273 million from June to December shows that furnishing of its offices and the purchase of a generator is expected to gulp N35 million, of which the offices of Nnaji and Akachukwu will take up N9 million for furniture alone.
In addition to the exorbitant cost of furnishing of the office space, the budget said to have been drawn up by Akachukwu, has set aside a whopping N142 million for the purchase of vehicles for the committee.


A breakdown shows that N32 million will be spent on two Toyota Land Cruiser SUVs supposedly for Nnaji and Akachukwu, six Toyota Corollas for core secretariat staff, and ten Toyota Prado SUVs for other senior members of the committee.
What is worse is that Nnaji and Akachukwu by virtue of their appointments as aides to the president already have official vehicles assigned to them. The same is applicable to other government officials who are members of the committee.


But it is the size of the bureaucracy that the task force is trying to build that is the most mind-boggling. In its estimated 12 month life span, the task force intends to employ 73 people for which it has determined a salary structure outside the civil service structure.


The 73 personnel on Grade Levels I – IV, along with 23 drivers would cost the treasury N233.24 million to fund for the 12 months they are kept by the task force.
In addition to employing the new staff, the task force intends to accommodate them for N50 million and provide a healthcare insurance plan at the cost of N10 million.
About N40 million of the committee’s budget, would also go towards paying for a guest house to be rented in Abuja while another N10 million will be used to furnish it.
Another N10 million will be used to purchase and pay for the monthly subscriptions of 35 blackberry phones for PTFP members and administrative staff, while N350,000 will go towards the purchase of 10 Starcomms mobile Internet modems for notebook computers.


Local area network and Internet connectivity for its offices got about N13 million in the 2010 capital expenditure.
N7 million was budgeted for the purchase of 40 notebook computers while the purchase of office equipment got over N18 million.
PTFP committee members and the support staff are expected to earn about N56 million as sitting allowances for holding meetings over the next 12 months, while monthly imprest for the committee has been estimated at N15.5 million.


Sources in the presidency said yesterday that Akachukwu, “because of his powerful connections in the presidency, has hijacked the PTFP from Nnaji and has completely rendered Nnaji powerless.” The PTFP secretary is a Senior Special Assistant (Special Project) to the President.
Another source said when some officials in the power ministry queried the huge budget, Akachukwu told them to forget about pruning it and allegedly added that he has a mandate to raise funds for Jonathan’s 2011 presidential election.


They also wonder where the funding from the budget will come from given that there was no provision in the 2010 budget for the Ministry of Power to cater to such ad-hoc expenses.
The task force, it was learnt, has taken up some space at the Federal Secretariat complex Abuja, and has already proceeded to furnish some offices for its use.
President Jonathan had in June constituted two committees, the PTFP inclusive, to drive the emergency policy on power within the life span of his administration. The other committee is the Presidential Action Committee on Power, chaired by the president himself.


The PTFP is charged with developing and driving the action plan for the nation’s power reform programme with achievable targets within the lifespan of the present administration.
The PTFP reports to the president and the PACP on a regular basis. The PACP has Vice President Namadi Sambo as alternate chairman.
PACP provides leadership and guidance for the development of the power sector and determines the general policy direction and strategic focus of the ongoing power reform.
Members of the PTFP headed by Nnaji are the Permanent Secretary (Ministry of Power); Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum of Corporation; Managing Director, Power Holding Company of Nigeria; Managing Director, Niger Delta Power Holding Company; Director General, Bureau of Public Procur-ement; and the Director General, Bureau of Public Enterprises.
Others are the Accountant General of the Federation; Chief Executive, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Co-mmission; CEOs of two power distribution companies; CEOs of two generating companies; and a director in the Power Ministry. Akach-ukwu is the committee’s member/secretary.




http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=180137

I have a hard time understanding why no one in government wants to see the country move forward. I can't believe that instead of worrying about how to fix the power sector these people have been in there worrying about buying vehicles, cells phones, etc.

chai, when will things change in naija? when?

THATS WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU PUT IBO GREEDY MEN IN CHARGE OF ANYTHING!!! BUNCHA BORN CROOKS! ITS IN THEIR BLOOD, AND IS ALLOWED IN THEIR SOCIETY! NEXT THEY'LL TRY TO KIDNAP SOMETHING. . . . .

Greedy thieving cheapskates. That's all committees are good for anyway,they ought to be shot.

For how long do we continue like this

@post

We now see that the civil service are the real problem, If you dont allow them to eat your name will be in the News for all kind of things. This is looking like the wrong time to be the President of Nigeria.

@ topic
ibo men at their best.

What happened to serve and sacrifice for the country?

EBAMI KIIGBE OLE O
OLE! OLE!
EBAMI KIIGBE OLE O
OLE! OLE!

. . . and people are saying no to a BLOODY REVOLUTION?

Who Said Jonathan is our saviour ? (- beaf)
Like the article said it may be part of raising funds for jonathan 2011 election campaign which he would eventualy lose

@ bk.babe97y, Your ethnicising this unfortunate develpment is indicative of your myopia which borders on stupidity, Graft and kidnapping are'nt localized in Igbo land. Surely you can see that?

here we go again, isnt there one person left that is not corrupt in government?