Ngige was wrong on Obasanjo power plants

November 28, 2012 by Olusegun Agagu

I read with consternation a report on page 8 of The PUNCH of November 24, credited to Senator Chris Ngige and titled, “Obasanjo power plants, wasteful”. The report quoted from a talk delivered by Senator Ngige on “Power Supply in Nigeria”, during the First Judiciary Day of the Student Union Government of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Since the Senator has so far not refuted the report, it can be taken that he had not been misquoted. Before the falsehood that Ngige peddled on that occasion begins to take root, I believe that it is necessary to lay bare the facts on the power plants established during the period he referred to and ensure that the public is not misinformed and misled.

Ngige was quoted to have said that “the power plants built by the government of Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 to 2003 were wasteful ventures” and “that the cost of securing and laying pipe(s) to carry gas to the power projects at Papalanto, Olorunsogo, Geregu, and Omotosho and other places was enough to build more of such power plants and fund transmission and distribution projects”. He followed up with the insinuation that the siting of the power plants was based on “political considerations”.

I am constrained to say that the facts that pertain to the four plants established during the period and which can be verified by all, clearly show that nothing can be farther from the truth than Ngige’s assertion above. The siting of the plants namely, Papalanto (Olorunsogo), Omotosho, Geregu and Afam V were based on sound technical consideration and the prices at which the plants were procured were highly competitive by global standards and are the cheapest Nigeria has ever procured viz:

1) The Papalanto and Omotosho plants were located less than five kilometres to the existing Escravos – Lagos Gas Pipeline making the cost of connecting them to gas less than $5million each.

2) The Geregu plant was located less than eight kilometres from the existing Pipeline that takes gas to the Ajaokuta Steel plant.

3) The AfamV Plant was located within the existing Afam Power Plant and therefore did not need any special pipe laying.

4) The distance of all the four power plants from existing major transmission lines is less than two kilometres making the cost of connection to the National Grid infinitesimal.

5) The turnkey costs of all the four power plants were less than $500 per megawatt which was verified by the Due Process Office to be globally very competitive. The benchmark price used for the NIPP projects which came up later was more than $1000 per megawatt.

6) All the four plants were completed within 24 months from contractors’ mobilisation, making them the fastest of deliveries in the history of Nigeria. AfamV was commissioned within 12 months!

7) A concessionary funding programme was negotiated with the Chinese Exim Bank for the Papalanto and Omotosho power plants through which Nigerian government paid only 35 per cent of their cost for the plants to be delivered. The balance of 65 per cent will be paid over a seven year period at six per cent interest rate and two years moratorium. The idea was that after paying 35 per cent and the plant was completed within two years, the income from generated power would be used to pay up the balance of 65 per cent without recourse to the Nigerian treasury!

The facts above are all verifiable on the ground and in the books of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria. What is perhaps intriguing is that Ngige, a former State Governor, presently the Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power and who was a contractor to NEPA

There is no doubt that we have problems in the Nigerian power sector and that all hands must be on deck to clear all bottlenecks on our way to end the needless pains that the mismanagement in the sector has caused us. There is also some merit in identifying periods and people that have contributed adversely to the mess. In doing this however, we must endeavour to tell the truth and ensure that we do not allow other sentiments to becloud our judgement. This will not allow us to learn and thereby arrive at how best to develop and maintain an efficient power supply system in Nigeria.

With all due sense of modesty, the period and projects that Senator Ngige is trying to deride were golden in our collective efforts at getting stable power for Nigeria. Between June 2000 and December 2002, our electricity generation capacity increased from 1425 to 4300 megawatts. Both the transmission and distribution subsections were strengthened such that peak load (delivered) for the first time in the history of Nigeria surpassed the 2400 megawatts maximum in 2002. The establishment of the Papalanto (335MW), Omotosho (335MW), Geregu (410MW), Afam V (276MW), Enron IPP(280MW) andKwale IPP (450MW) were added during the same period with the view of increasing the 4300MW generation capacity to about 6000MW. That was also the period when the Power Sector Reform Bill was crafted and submitted to the National Assembly to pave way for a more efficient deregulated power sector.

Finally, we concede to Ngige the right to pass his judgment on Obasanjo, his administration of Nigeria when he was in power and of course, the former President’s politics. I am sure that Obasanjo can deal with that on his own and I am not in anyway standing brief for him. Ngige has however chosen a very wrong Obasanjo project to bash in his Awka lecture. Some of us who worked conscientiously with Obasanjo to visibly move the power sector forward between 2000 and 2003 will not allow anyone to rubbish our sweat and the gains that Nigeria made during that period.

•Dr. Agagu, CON (Former Governor of Ondo State and Minister of Power and Steel, 2000 – 2002)


http://www.punchng.com/opinion/ngige-was-wrong-on-obasanjo-power-plants/

ha ha

I doubted Ngige's technical competence to head senate commitee on power when he is a medical doctor, his utterances are mere political vendetta.

I expect the usual trend on this thread, yorubas will believe and support Agagu while other Nigerians wont. This is the usual trend in Nigeria, issues are not analysed dispassionately.
But one thing is sure, OBJ overtly favoured the southwest in citing those power plants. However, Nobody would have bothered if we did not have issues with laying of gas pipelines and gas supply. It is noteworthy that the construction of these power plants began in 2000 to 2002 according to Agagu but how come OBJ could still not solve whatever problems prevented Nigerians from reaping the benefit of all the power plants Agagu mentioned in this report till he left office in 2007? OBJ did his best but obviously his best was not good enough. Also his best in trying to provide infrastructure was dwarfed by his type of politics- DO OR DIE.
It is easy to forget that he had 8 solid years to do whatever he had to do to move Nigeria forward. An average power plant anywhere in the world can be completed in 2 to 3yrs, and so OBJ had no excuse not to have delivered those power plants and transmission infrastructures in 8yrs. In fact, he should have handed over to his successor a country generating, transmitting and distributing at least 7,000 to 10,000 MW of power up from the 1,000 or so MW he inherited. But what we get are excuses, excuses and excuses.
I believe strongly that whatever project a leader, who has 8 solid yrs to make his mark, could not start and COMPLETE in 8yrs, means that the leader does not consider such project a PRIORITY. For goodness sake, 8yrs is a lot of time in a man's expected life time on earth and a nations life. Inability to start and complete 10 power plants, evacuate the power and distribute them in solid 8yrs is a CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. It is a confirmation that such a leader got his priorities WRONG. All the STUPID talk about commending someone for starting a project is an INSULT to our sensibility. I can commend Yar Adua for starting a project and not being able to complete it because his tenure was cut short by death. But I can NEVER commend OBJ for his inability to commence and COMPLETE critical projects in power sector or even critical roads like Onitsha-Owerri, Enugu-Onitsha roads,etc in 8yrs. If these projects could not be COMPLETED by his regime in 8yrs, it means he could as well have continued working on them FOREVER. What excuse will GEJ have for failing to COMPLETE the Enugu-Onitsha road for instance even in 4yrs? So if GEJ fails to COMPLETE the road in 4yrs and his successor comes and COMPLETES the road, you expect me to commend GEJ? For what? What we fail to understand is that a leader can afford to keep non-priority projects(based on his understanding of what should be priority at that time) ONGOING forever if allowed.
Anyway, looking back I just thank God the PHCN was not privatised under his regime because almost 99% of companies he privatised were marred in one controversy or the other and many of those companies have been KILLED by those controversies

Agagu, he will surely defend his boss dy are both involve in power destruction in 9ja

I am constrained to say that the facts that pertain to the four plants established during the period and which can be verified by all

OBJ served himself not nigeria. OBJ is a not a good person.

He achieved almost nothing as president for EIGHT GOOD YEARS.

Agagu forgot to tellus what benefits nigerians are getting from the power plant.even ogun state can not boast of a single infrastruct from his regime

Agagu the drunken ex-governor. I thot Jonathans administration claimed to be the first to reach 4300 megawatts in Nigerian history why is Agagu also claiming it for Obasanjo. Shaggy old liars

[size=18pt]Nigeria's Obasanjo and the $16 Billion Power Scam[/size]

Frontline Catholic cleric and social critic, Rev. Fr. Matthew Hassan Kukah, perhaps, spoke the minds of millions of Nigerians when he said recently that former President Olusegun Obasanjo deserved to be formally tried for his alleged role in the squandering about $16 billion voted for resuscitating the near-dead power sector during his administration between 1999 and 2007. Kukah, a close family friend of the Obasanjos, was the Secretary to the National Political Reforms Conference (NPRC) initiated by the Obasanjo government in 2005.

This call, which is a challenge to the Goodluck Jonathan administration, could not have come at a more appropriate time, especially considering the President's recent assurance that his administration would go after those who looted the national treasury, no matter how highly placed they may be. But many Nigerians doubt if Dr. Jonathan will summon the will to bring his political benefactor to book.

Dr. Kukah, who also chided critics and civil society groups for not doing enough to ensure that Obasanjo is arraigned, said: "Obasanjo probably will never be the President of Nigeria again, but we should be concerned if Obasanjo deserves to go to prison. Vilifying him doesn't give us (electric) power; it also doesn't get us the criminals that have taken our money, wherever they are. I would have loved to have Obasanjo brought to trial, because then we would know the truth." Besides the scandal ravaging the power sector, which the former President directly supervised, the double standards of the Presidency, under him, in the many established cases of corrupt self-enrichment by key government functionaries during his tenure were mind-boggling.

After the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) unearthed a N56 billion fraud by the former Board of Directors of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), for example, Obasanjo failed to institute any process towards recovering the stolen amount and/or prosecuting the culprits, who were said to be his close political allies. Rather, some of those who served on that board were appointed to other boards subsequently. Before that scandal came to light, back in July 2002, Nigerians had been shocked when the then Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Godwin Kanu Agabi, filed a nolle prosequi (discontinuance of prosecution) on the day an Abuja High Court was scheduled to deliver judgment in a case of alleged embezzlement of N420 million by Dr. Julius Makanjuola, Obasanjo's relation and a Director at the Ministry of Defence.

And in 2006, Nigerians were similarly shell-shocked over the revelation of massive pillaging at the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) allegedly involving Obasanjo and his Deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. This was to be followed by allegations of Obasanjo's involvements in the Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp), which bought over Abuja's NICON Hilton Hotel, the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), and also acquired some oil blocks.

Fr. Kukah's recent call is timely. Nigerians continue till today to endure perennial darkness, with no real clue to the cause of the apparent intractability of the power sector's woes. It is disheartening, in this regard, that like the late President Umaru Yar'Adua, Dr. Jonathan has surrounded himself with some of the key figures that helped ex-President Obasanjo fail so dismally in service delivery. While we commend Jonathan over his appointment of Professor Bath Nnaji as Special Adviser on Power, it must be noted that Mr. Joseph Makoju, a seasoned professional, had held that same position under the Yar'Adua administration and also under the Obasanjo government. In addition, he was PHCN Managing Director for the better part of the latter administration. He ought to be facing intense interrogation over what happened to the alleged misappropriated $16 billion.

And, with discredited functionaries and contractors of the Obasanjo era still hovering around The Presidency and the PHCN, poised to snatch whatever fresh allocations go to the power sector, where is the guarantee that Nigeria will ever have improved electricity supply in the foreseeable future? While we urge the Federal Government to seek out individuals and organizations, locally and abroad, with proven track records in performance and integrity to revive the ailing sector, the issue of the mismanaged billions should not be treated as a 'family affair' of the ruling party. Nigeria's public funds must be accounted for.

Since the National Assembly Probe Committee on the Power scam was itself to be later dragged into the corruption quagmire, we call for a thorough investigation, by the EFCC, into the whereabouts of the vanished power allocations.

The former President, on his part, should cooperate fully with the investigators, in order to clear his name of the strong suspicions surrounding his administration's wasteful disbursement of the $16 billion power sector allocations. There should be no sacred cows, as he used to say while in office. Any preferential treatment of individuals will create the impression that the Nigerian government's commitment to the anti-corruption crusade, economic reform and transparent governance is cosmetic and insincere.

While sleaze in high places thrives, the ordinary citizens' quality of life has remained dismal, infrastructural facilities are decrepit, mass unemployment ravages the land, and poverty sentences the vast majority to a life of unrelieved misery.

President Jonathan will not achieve anything significant in his four years. He is using OBJ style of governance.

[size=18pt]16th September 2003 - BBC News
Obasanjo's shame: $15bn (N2,400bn ) feared stolen from Government Pension Fund[/size]
Nigerian authorities have uncovered a huge deficit in the state pension fund, confirming what many unpaid former state workers have feared for years.

Retired civil servants have long complained of non-payment of their pensions, with many forced to queue for days to claim what they are owed,

According to Nigerian government calculations, the shortfall in the state pension fund amounts to at least 2 trillion naira (£9.3bn; $14.8bn).

The revelation is likely to stir suspicions that some of the money may have been misappropriated.

Corruption was a major issue in Nigeria's recent election, which saw won by President Olusegun Obasanjo and his People's Democratic Party (PDP).

'Unfortunate activity'

Experts have not ruled out that some of the money may have been stolen, but there has also been criticism of the pay-as-you-go scheme the state uses to raise pension funds.

"We think there has been some unfortunate activity," Ahmed Mohammed of the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund told the BBC's Network Africa.


"This pay-as-you-go scheme has been abandoned in many countries. Payments have not been made on time."

Pensioners regularly travel to Abuja, often camping outside government offices, in the hope of getting some of their money.

Many reacted to the news with dismay.

"I don't have a roof on my head, There is no sign that the government will be able to pay our pensions," said one pensioner.

"The government is fighting against corruption. If the government can't pay this money, then they cannot stop all these things," said another.

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-693700.480.html

Its a glaring fact that OBJ and Agagu failed us in the power sector. Agagu is merely using defence mechanism to hide their failure. That's all.

ROCK-J:
Its a glaring fact that OBJ and Agagu failed us in the power sector. Agagu is merely using defence mechanism to hide their failure. That's all.

^

The power plants that he couldn't complete in eight years. Habah, Habah.

OBJ is a bad man.

The power plants became an issue because they are not functioning if they are working who cares where they are located.

When will Ibos stop the war on Yorubas

[size=18pt]Trailing Obasanjo's loot[/size]

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/saharareporters-discovers-trails-objuba-loot
Posted: June 25, 2007 - 01:00


Saharareporters discovers trails of OBJ/Uba loot…Andy Uba screened out of Yar'Adua's ministerial list.

Saharareporters has discovered highly irregular business schemes that beam a light on the methods used by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his former aide, Emmanuel Nnamdi (Andy) Uba to siphon public funds.
Saharareporters investigations have revealed that Obasanjo and Uba used front companies to open foreign accounts into which huge amounts of funds were deposited before they
were then moved out to the Cayman Islands, Jersey and parts of the Carribean.
The schemes involved a Nigerian born British citizen, Lillian Nwoko whose modus operandi was akin to that of Loretta Mabinton, the Portland, Oregon-based attorney who served as a money-laundering front for Andy Uba before she was caught by the US secret service.

Lillian Nwoko similarly helped Andy Uba to register companies in the UK which were then used to open foreign bank accounts for money laundering purposes. Each company was then voluntarily closed. Three of such companies were registered with the address as 259A Grays Inn Road in London, UK.

Lillian Nwoko was named as the secretary in the three companies. The first company, UNIC Securities Limited, was formed in September 2000. Its business was declared as “cargo
handling and business consultancy.” Lillian Nwoko was listed as the secretary. There were two other directors, Ibrahim Hauwa and Dr. Lame Ibrahim Yakubu, fronting for Andy Uba. The two directors gave their address as Plot 1503 Abidjan Street, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja-Nigeria.
The UK company house report indicated that the company did not file any financial reports before it was dissolved in July 2003.

The two other companies, SENTREX Ventures Limited and Fontana Ventures Limited, were incorporated on the same date and have Andy Uba and Lillian Nwoko as the main
directors. Andy Uba used Plot 772 Ibrahim Taiwo Road Asokoro, Abuja as his address. He gave his date of birth as December 14, 1958 and his citizenship as Canadian. Incidentally, Plot 772 Ibrahim Taiwo Road was the same address to which Loretta Mabinton (Andy Uba's lady accomplice in the Portland, Oregon money laundering scandal) shipped the Mercedes Benz she bought for Andy Uba with proceeds of laundered cash brought to the US on former President Obasanjo's presidential jet. The US Secret Service initially confiscated the Mercedes Benz, releasing it only after Uba paid a fine of $26,000.

SENTREX and FONTANA Ventures Limited merely gave the nature of their business as “other businesses.” The two companies, which didn't file any financial reports, were also dissolved in 2003.

A financial fraud expert who asked to remain anonymous told Saharareporters that the formation and dissolution of companies without filing financial statements was “highly suspicious.” The expert, who lives in England, said “such practices are used to avoid detection by the prying eyes of the public.” One source in Abuja told us that the method “is consistent with former president Obasanjo's style of corruption,” adding that the former president’s hidden assets were “in the billions of dollars.”

Meanwhile, Andy Uba appears unable to buy any reprieve from his political misfortunes. On June 14, the Supreme Court kicked Uba out of the governorship seat he usurped in Anambra, ruling that incumbent Governor Peter Obi has the constitutional mandate to remain in office till March 2010.

Following his judicial defeat, Uba reportedly hopped in his multi-million dollar Gulf Stream private jet and flew to see Obasanjo in Ota to bemoan his ordeal.
Obasanjo reportedly sent him to see Umar Musa Yar'adua to make a case for his inclusion in the yet-to-be formed cabinet.

If Andy Uba seriously expected to get a ministerial spot, he was in for a huge disappointment. Yar'adua refused to see him, instead directing that Secretary to the Government Baba Gana Kingibe meet with him to discuss his concerns. When Andy met with Kingibe the next day, he was confronted with the government’s concern that he bought a house within the premises of the Presidential Villa that houses some security gadgets meant to safeguard the Villa.

Broaching the issue of his ministerial appointment, Uba told Kingibe that he wished to withdraw the name of his brother and former Senator Ugochukwu Uba, one of two names he had nominated for ministerial appointment. Uba’s other nominee is Jerry Ugokwe. In place of his brother, he told Kingibe, he now wanted to put in his name.

According to our source, Senator Uba’s nomination was already troubled even before Andy Uba’s attempt to remove his brother’s name. Yar’Adua’s closest advisers had counseled against rewarding Ugochukwu Uba who was implicated in bribing two of the three judges of the Federal Court of Appeal assigned to determine whether he was the rightful winner of a senatorial seat in 2003. The bribery charges came to light after the two judges read a majority verdict that gave the contested seat to Senator Uba. The two judges were subsequently
dismissed from the bench.

As soon Andy Uba finished making a case for a ministerial position, Kingibe told him that he must head for the PDP secretariat to tell the press that he has accepted the judgment of the Supreme Court. The secretary to the government made it clear that Uba’s public acceptance of the verdict was a precondition for responding to his request. Kingibe also asked that Andy Uba give him time to consult with Umar Musa Yar'adua.

By the time Andy Uba returned from the Wadata Plaza headquarters of the PDP, Baba Gana Kingibe asked him to furnish his office with certified copies of his degree certificates. Our source said Uba was stunned by the demand, and seemed to realize that his ministerial dreams had been torpedoed. Investigations by Saharareporters had revealed that Uba, who claims
to hold a PhD in science, has lied about his academic qualifications. He does not have even a first degree.
When Kingibe insisted that hard copies of his degrees would be required to consider him for any ministerial appointment, Uba replied that an Abuja High court headed by Justice Babs Kewunmi had already ruled in his favor in a case inspired by his certificate scam. Unimpressed, Baba Gana Kingibe told Andy Uba that degrees are issued by universities, not courts.

A forlorn Uba was said to have explored the possibility of becoming the chairman of the ruling party since the position has been zoned to the southeast zone. Kingibe then made it clear that the government was unlikely to support his chairmanship bid, citing his unresolved controversies. After the meeting, Uba hurriedly left Abuja for the Southeast where he tried to rally his supporters with a pep talk. He also used the occasion to settle hotel bills and other debts incurred by his numerous hangers-on in various hotels and restaurants. Uba’s campaign had attracted many such hangers-on, many of them US-based “expatriates” and “consultants” who relocated to Awka in the hope of making quick money off of Andy Uba. Uba, who bragged that he was going to transform Anambra State, put his parasitic praise singers in hotels and encouraged to hang around until he settled in as “governor.”

With the Supreme Court kicking him out last week, he is reported to be anxious to cut his dependents loose.

juman: OBJ served himself not nigeria. OBJ is a useless man.

He achieved almost nothing as president for EIGHT GOOD YEARS.

Chronic goon

[size=18pt]Obasanjo looted Treasury to start his Farms[/size]

On Dec. 5th, 2005, the European Union (EU) denied giving Pres. Obasanjo a clean bill of health concerning his anti-corruption credentials. This has dented the saintly image the President has cultivated in the past few years.



Elendureports.com can now reveal, according to documents in our possession, that on August 18, 1973, Brigadier Olusegun Obasanjo, the then Commandant of Nigerian Army Corps of Engineers, registered Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. On October 1979, Gen. Obasanjo retired from the Nigerian Army after ruling the country for three years, following the assassination of Gen. Murtala Mohammed. By 1979, Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. started commercial operations with fifty million naira (N50,000,000.00). Given the exchange rate in 1979, the Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. commenced operations with more than fifty million dollars ($50,000,000.00).



Until 1979, Olusegun Obasanjo had spent his entire professional life in the Nigerian military. The natural question is how did this man who is reputed to have been an honest soldier float a multi-million dollar company without partners? Who bankrolled Obasanjo Farms, Ltd.? What collateral was provided for loans, if financing was raised through a bank?



Under duress from the public, following allegations of corruption against Pres. Obasanjo, his spokesman, Femi Fani-Kayode, declared that Obasanjo Farms, Limited, headquartered at the Agbeloba House on Quarry Road, Ibara Abeokuta, Ogun State generates a monthly income of about thirty million Naira (N30,000,000.00)



Obasanjo Farms Ltd. is a success story. Yet, it is not an ordinary success story in the sense that it does not follow the normal patterns of rags to riches; the staple from which typical success stories are made. Elendureports.com was reliably informed that Gen. Obasanjo's pet project as Head of State, "Operation Feed the Nation," was set up as a front to divert resources for the funding of Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. Obasanjo Farms, Ltd., is listed as being engaged in poultry and pig farming, which employees about 3,000 people.



The allegation is that money, heavy-duty machinery, and other materials meant for Operation Feed the Nation were diverted to Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. right from its inception. Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. has a huge abattoir at the back of General Hospital in Otta, Ogun State.



In direct contravention to the Nigerian Constitution, Pres. Olusegun Obasanjo still retains the title of Chairman, Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. This allegation is supported by documents in the possession of Elendureports.com. Other members of the top executive of Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. are Elder Daniel W. Atsu, who is the Managing Director, and Bolarinwa Atilade, who is the Financial Controller. WEMA Bank is the company's major account provider, while it maintains accounts in several other local banks.



Ironically, some elected Nigerian public officials have been dragged before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for operating their businesses while in public service. Recently, the President also warned civil servants to desist from engaging in private businesses.



Soon after the Abacha junta imprisoned Obasanjo on trumped up coup charges, Obasanjo Farms, with operational bases in Owiwi, Igboora, Lanlate and Ibadan, started experiencing a down-turn in fortunes. There is speculation that the Abacha regime discouraged people from patronizing the farm. However, after Obasanjo was released from prison and his subsequent drafting to run for president, the farm saw a resurgence of income. Since 1999, Obasanjo Farms, Ltd. has acquired more assets. For example, the President showed off a huge teak farm to one of his close friends some years ago.



Elendureports.com was authoritatively informed that Obasanjo deposited checks worth millions of Naira meant for his Presidential campaign into various company accounts. There are claims that he did not make this money available to his campaign. As at the time of filing this story no audit of his 1999 campaign organization account has been conducted. A source very close to Pres. Obasanjo said, "Money just flowed in and Baba was just using it as he wanted."



Just recently the former Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Audu Ogbeh, revealed that Pres. Olusegun Obasanjo and his bosom friend, Anthony Anenih, have yet to account for forty billion naira (N40 billion) raised for his 1999 Presidential campaign. Ogbeh insisted that the President, through his Legacy Campaign headquarters, was responsible for appropriating the campaign funds.



Also, Lagos lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi, in recent Court submissions regarding the seven billion naira raised for the Obasanjo Presidential Library, presented evidence linking the President to Bells University and Bells Educational Services, a multi-million dollar institution, wholly owned by Obasanjo Holdings, Ltd.



Contrary to popular belief, President Olusegun Obasanjo has yet to publicly declare his assets. In addition, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has yet to publish its findings regarding allegations of corruption made against the President by Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu. While Nigerians may disagree on almost everything else, it is reasonable to expect that the unanswered question on the minds of the citizenry is: Is the President's anti-corruption war for real or a charade designed to attack opponents, deceive Nigerians and the international community?


The Joint Development Zone (JDZ) is currently the proverbial money tree for the President. The JDZ is a joint venture owned by Nigeria and Sao Tome and Principe. This venture is supposed to manage the large deposits of oil in the Gulf of Guinea. The company managing the mapping of the JDZ is PGS, a company whose Nigerian subsidiary is managed by the father-in-law of Obasanjo's second son. Obasanjo's cronies, Emeka Offor and Wahab Folawiyo, also has business interests in the region.

You appreciate a magnificent building when looking at it based on the roof styles,window elements and creative job on all external walls while we forget what makes the building stand..The 'Foundation". Why?.... simply because; its below ground level where myopic mind couldn't see. OBJ laid the foundation of whatever works or improvement on power sector of today's administration. Anybody who considered OBJ power project as failure is absolutely ignorant.

Vote Agagu for president 2015 so dat he'll complete wat OBJ started, simple. Case closed

@gen buhari what is ur problem are you on this thread to criticise obj and campaign for buhari here ni. Abi that buhari of someone what did he do when he was in government. What of the famous tinubu those sensible know how he keep squandering money earned in lagos on politics infact he has a fixed share in every local government grant in lagos, Then who is holy among them. There are many of them outside there which are even more worst... So so so keep shut and concentrate on other people

Sincere 9gerian: I expect the usual trend on this thread, yorubas will believe and support Agagu while other Nigerians wont. This is the usual trend in Nigeria, issues are not analysed dispassionately.
But one thing is sure, OBJ overtly favoured the southwest in citing those power plants. However, Nobody would have bothered if we did not have issues with laying of gas pipelines and gas supply. It is noteworthy that the construction of these power plants began in 2000 to 2002 according to Agagu but how come OBJ could still not solve whatever problems prevented Nigerians from reaping the benefit of all the power plants Agagu mentioned in this report till he left office in 2007? OBJ did his best but obviously his best was not good enough. Also his best in trying to provide infrastructure was dwarfed by his type of politics- DO OR DIE.
It is easy to forget that he had 8 solid years to do whatever he had to do to move Nigeria forward. An average power plant anywhere in the world can be completed in 2 to 3yrs, and so OBJ had no excuse not to have delivered those power plants and transmission infrastructures in 8yrs. In fact, he should have handed over to his successor a country generating, transmitting and distributing at least 7,000 to 10,000 MW of power up from the 1,000 or so MW he inherited. But what we get are excuses, excuses and excuses.
I believe strongly that whatever project a leader, who has 8 solid yrs to make his mark, could not start and COMPLETE in 8yrs, means that the leader does not consider such project a PRIORITY. For goodness sake, 8yrs is a lot of time in a man's expected life time on earth and a nations life. Inability to start and complete 10 power plants, evacuate the power and distribute them in solid 8yrs is a CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. It is a confirmation that such a leader got his priorities WRONG. All the STUPID talk about commending someone for starting a project is an INSULT to our sensibility. I can commend Yar Adua for starting a project and not being able to complete it because his tenure was cut short by death. But I can NEVER commend OBJ for his inability to commence and COMPLETE critical projects in power sector or even critical roads like Onitsha-Owerri, Enugu-Onitsha roads,etc in 8yrs. If these projects could not be COMPLETED by his regime in 8yrs, it means he could as well have continued working on them FOREVER. What excuse will GEJ have for failing to COMPLETE the Enugu-Onitsha road for instance even in 4yrs? So if GEJ fails to COMPLETE the road in 4yrs and his successor comes and COMPLETES the road, you expect me to commend GEJ? For what? What we fail to understand is that a leader can afford to keep non-priority projects(based on his understanding of what should be priority at that time) ONGOING forever if allowed.
Anyway, looking back I just thank God the PHCN was not privatised under his regime because almost 99% of companies he privatised were marred in one controversy or the other and many of those companies have been KILLED by those controversies

Inasmuch as I agreed with some of the salient points you made, governance should be about continuity and not Who start a project or who completed it. Obasanjo might have committed some errors in his assessment of the chosen location for the power plants but it behoves the subsequent occupants of the office to revisit the initial master plan, make any adjustment if need be. You also need to put into cognizance that critical decisions like the four power plants and its multiplier effects across the landscape cannot be based solely on OBJ's whim.

Your opinion that OBJ favoured the South West in the location of the power plants is also incorrect, the four plants were evenly distributed across different region and not just in the SW. You can look this up once again before mis-informing the reading public. And, if you care know, the essence of the plants was not to generate power for the immediate environments or communities, whatever watt of power generated therefrom is directly channeled to the national grid for further distribution, so why the unfounded assumption?

I'm familiar with the Olorunsogo power plant and it is not totally a bad idea, what it requires is efficient capacity utilization before the impact can be felt and the onus lies on the present administration to ensure it is put to good use rather than the unnecessary politicization.

Like Agagu noted, the proximity of the power plants to source of gas supply is very true.

Maxymilliano:

Inasmuch as I agreed with some of the salient points you made, governance should be about continuity and not Who start a project or who completed it. Obasanjo might have committed some errors in his assessment of the chosen location for the power plants but it behoves the subsequent occupants of the office to revisit the initial master plan, make any adjustment if need be. You also need to put into cognizance that critical decisions like the four power plants and its multiplier effects across the landscape cannot be based solely on OBJ's whim.

Your opinion that OBJ favoured the South West in the location of the power plants is also incorrect, the four plants were evenly distributed across different region and not just in the SW. You can look this up once again before mis-informing the reading public. And, if you care know, the essence of the plants was not to generate power for the immediate environments or communities, whatever watt of power generated therefrom is directly channeled to the national grid for further distribution, so why the unfounded assumption?

I'm familiar with the Olorunsogo power plant and it is not totally a bad idea, what it requires is efficient capacity utilization before the impact can be felt and the onus lies on the present administration to ensure it is put to good use rather than the unnecessary politicization.

Like Agagu noted, the proximity of the power plants to source of gas supply is very true.

Curiously, how my Yoruba folks are queueing behind Obj and Agagu this time. Constructing and securing
(expecially securing) pipelines in Nigeria has proved to be one big headache. So, what is the reason
(if not tribal/ethnic) for choosing Papalanto, Olorunsogo, Geregu etc to site powerplants just because
according to Agagu, they are some kilometres away from existing gas pipelines. How effective are those
pipelines he is talking about in the first place? Is it not more risk-effective siting them in the Niger Delta and
very close to the facility that generates the gas? Atleast, the distance for laying pipelines is shortened.
Pipeline security too is made alot easier. The risk of vandalism is also greatly reduced.

Agagu talked as if the rest of Nigerians are fools. Recently, GEJ forwarded a proposal to Senate for a
loan of over a 1 trillion naira to enable govt connect pipelines to those powerplants.
Why make the country go through this avoidable expenditure?

datola: When will Ibos stop the war on Yorubas

my frnd shut ur bucalvity.una broda na tief shekeina

OBJ is a natural criminal.he will die shamefully.Agagu should be relieved of his job because it seems he will land nigerians in more trouble than what OBJ did.

datola: When will Ibos stop the war on Yorubas

i'm not surprised.i expected you to be more stupid.

[size=18pt]Obasanjo's corruption and looting lead to his liquidation of Nigeria Airways[/size]
FOR many years, very few people knew the reason for the liquidation of Nigeria Airways. Many were oblivious of intrigues that led to the death of the airline. Many had read the story on the internet and in documented articles.

Last week presented the opportunity for many to know the exact reasons the carrier met its untimely death. The occasion was at a book launch of Oba Olufemi Ogunleye. His book highlights the ills of the aviation industry and efforts made to rescue it. The forum was an occasion to extol the leadership quality of the Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Olusegun Demuren; how he was able, together with all NCAA personnel to give Nigeria a virile aviation industry that had engendered safety.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo whose administration liquidated the airline was in attendance. Also was a former Managing Director of the carrier, Gen. Olu Bajowa (rtd). It was fireworks the as the duo differed on the action that led to the eventual demise of the airline.

Obasanjo held the capacity hall spellbound. He defended his action. He argued that he left 32 aircraft in the fleet of the airline when he left public office in 1979; noting that when he came back as civilian President he was shocked to see only one serviceable aircraft.

He branded many of the chief executives of the airlines as corrupt, explaining that some of them exploited and stole massively from the airline.

According to him, “You will be an irresponsible leader if you have a situation like that and you don’t do anything about it and I did something about it. What I owed Nigeria was for them to be able to move from point A to B.

But Bajowa faulted Obasanjo for his action, stressing that he could not understand the wisdom or decipher the rationale behind the liquidation and eventual sale of Nigeria Airways, adding that as a former chief executive, the airline had enough assets in Nigeria, across the West African sub region, Central and East Africa, the United State and Europe, particularly the United Kingdom to offset whatever volume of liabilities it purportedly incurred.

He posited that the huge resources generated in hard currency from Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) could have been used as subvention from the Ministry of Aviation to help bail out the Nigeria Airways from its indebtedness, or at worst could have entered into business and operational partnership with a mega airline like the British Airways or any other credible world class airline.

To many who listened to Obasanjo, the former President they opined was only trying to play to the gallery to justify one of the worst decisions ever taken by any leader. While it is very true that the airline was oozing with corruption, there would have been better ways to resuscitate the airline.
If Obasanjo claimed that the officials were corrupt, what did he do to prosecute them and to make them pay for their crime? Why was the Justice Obiorah Nwazota panel report not implemented? Why was the white paper on the report not released?

The Nwazota panel heavily indicted top government officials, some of whom were alleged to be financiers of the ruling party in 1999 and 2003. The release of the white paper would have caused confusion in the camp of the party at that time. No wonder a very powerful former Minister of Information once told reporters that those indicted were, ‘role models”. He disclosed that it would be suicidal for government to publish their names or prosecute them.

Obasanjo had all the machinery of the state to bring the corrupt officials to book. Why did he suddenly develop cold feet in a matter that was proven beyond all reasonable doubt that these officials indeed engaged in one of the biggest corruption exercises that saw to the sorry state of the airline? Where were EFCC and ICPC? They obviously looked the other way.

To many right thinking person, the problem of Nigeria Airways was not beyond redemption. Kenya Airways went through the same problem as Airway. What did the Kenyan government do? The government, poised to revive the airline agreed to take over responsibility for the airlines external debt arrears and in October converted $33 million in debt owed it into equity. As a result, long term debt was reduced from $177 million to $49 million and net worth increased to $33million.The privatization of Kenya Airways was the first-ever privatization of an African airline.

The ownership of the East African airline is as follows: Airline partner 20 per cent; Kenya institutions 20 per cent; Kenya Airways staff 10 per cent; Kenya Government 20 per cent and Kenya public 30 per cent. This is a very perfect arrangement for a serious government and people of Kenya.
I have listened to many who said that Nigeria should not be bothered with a national carrier. They based their arguments on the fact that the country has flag carriers that can fit in well to offer same services that a national airline would offer.

I look around my shoulders and I am yet to see any one airline that has that potential to really offer that service. Many of them are just masquerading and pretending to be airlines; the reason Nigeria will always be shortchanged in the global aviation politics.

I advocate for a privatized national airline devoid of total control of government, but one owned by the public. This way, it becomes very difficult for corruption to thrive.

The benefits from privatization depend significantly on how it is carried out. To effectively implement a privatization, policy makers must analyze the macro-economic context; consider appropriate policy sequencing; examine the potential for and attractiveness of different types of investors; estimate the value of the company; establish an effective administrative process.

While there is no universal formula for successful privatization, well-thought out policy is important for ensuring that privatization produces widespread public benefits.

http://5vestartravel..co.uk/2012/03/how-not-to-liquidate-airline-nigeria.html

[img]http://api.ning.com/files/4G4tvXYnE2rpVpXitl96YjT6T1MoSnGKWrczCBtDLUUvU*MsDfDaxuD7l5pLiuJNNZjQTZ4UjBZRscaj3MSlnBQd93p-Csex/NigerianAirwaysBurialGround.jpg?width=604&height=403[/img]

www.nairaland.com/attachments/207860_1417054_1_jpg0a3ebab9cad34f41c0e279a15b7f8144

[img]http://3.bp..com/-qQQT8KgVs_o/UKvtEkrPcDI/AAAAAAAABGk/xaC7VGsvYF8/s1600/MyAviationNetPhotoID00864492.jpg[/img]

Maxymilliano:

Inasmuch as I agreed with some of the salient points you made, governance should be about continuity and not Who start a project or who completed it. Obasanjo might have committed some errors in his assessment of the chosen location for the power plants but it behoves the subsequent occupants of the office to revisit the initial master plan, make any adjustment if need be. You also need to put into cognizance that critical decisions like the four power plants and its multiplier effects across the landscape cannot be based solely on OBJ's whim.

Your opinion that OBJ favoured the South West in the location of the power plants is also incorrect, the four plants were evenly distributed across different region and not just in the SW. You can look this up once again before mis-informing the reading public. And, if you care know, the essence of the plants was not to generate power for the immediate environments or communities, whatever watt of power generated therefrom is directly channeled to the national grid for further distribution, so why the unfounded assumption?

I'm familiar with the Olorunsogo power plant and it is not totally a bad idea, what it requires is efficient capacity utilization before the impact can be felt and the onus lies on the present administration to ensure it is put to good use rather than the unnecessary politicization.

Like Agagu noted, the proximity of the power plants to source of gas supply is very true.

11,...11 sir and not 4. do u knw dt Egbema plant was delayed because there was no access to the site across River Imo? yea, ...FG had to make a budget under Ministry of Works years after to construct a bigger bridge dt can support d movement of turbines across the river to d NIPP site. similar challenges faced almost all, but u can normally make excuses that there will always be unforseen circumstances in every project management. but when u look into d kind of challenges faced in NIPP, u would want to think differently because certain pattern is observed.

IMO, d power improvement could hav been better and easily achieved at far lower cost by simply by expansion of the existing PPs.

repeated post. deleted.

Seems only Agagu & OBJ benefited from the power being referred here.
Putting up a defence isnt the only thing expected. Credible defense is all we need.
Since he couldnt he should have kept mute.
Some ppl are bent on falsifying facts. And this posture casts shadow on their integrity.

All the things taunted as achievement by OBJ 8 years administration have been surpassed within 3 years of GEJs sojourn.
Fertilizer is now available to grass root farmers. Airport facilities are steadily improving.
Our Ports are becoming more functional. Election rigging which he perfected is now being sanitized
Rail system is being revived. Petroleum sector (which he pocketed ) is now in the public domain. The ills are known now
& will, hopefully, be tackled.

Commissioning of uncompleted projects is no longer in Vogue. Its only in Nigeria that Agangus will come out, without shame, to defend a roguish regime.
Recall that OBJ commissioned Enugu International Airport. We all know better now

all the things in nigeria were awarded by obj but none are working,
i don't even espect yorubas to defend this nonsense.

with the refute i read above credited to Agagu i hereby speak openly that NGIGE is right.

Agagu and obj has to face trail and go to jail.