The content and context of national development as it relates to the Nigerian current trend in the power sector reform strategies is a misnomer. Incidentally, every national development plans is largely people-centred geared towards achieving qualitative transformation from a particular level to a more or less desirable and progressive one.
By any standard, Nigeria, the most populous black African country with an approximate population explosion of not less than 140 million had under its NEEDS agenda, and in line with the much talked about Millennium Development Goals (MDG) earmarked monumental development strategies for an enhanced living conditions of her people, of which the power sector reform is one. The Nigerian power sector as a matter of fact, is an indispensable sector the requires utmost attention in order to be effective and efficient in all its ramifications. Power, however, is very crucial in boosting business activities either at the level of individual or government circles respectively. On the other hand, Nigeria’s fledging democracy may only survive the test of time thereby enhancing socio-economic development, growth and sustainability when the fundamentals of due process and the rule of law are duely and systematically followed (The News, 2008).
Therefore, the on-going investigations by the Yar Adua’s administration appears to have come as a right step in the right direction to bring to the fore all tendencies of grafts and corrupt legacies of the immediate past administration of chief Olusegun Obasanjo and his cronies in government circles. It is interesting to note that the various mind-boggling revelations that played out in the on-going public hearing by the National Assembly of Nigeria to actually salvage the comatose state of the power sector is of utmost interest to this researcher and any concerned citizen of this great country. Thus a close examination of such awkward leadership tendencies as hypocritical, non-challant, self-aggrandizement, window-dressing, coverteousness greed etc, are prevalent and, hence act as necessary draw-backs to our nation’s wheel of progress.
These tendencies are basically characteristic of the Obasanjo’s administration where sumptuous contracts worth billions of Nigeria were distributed to both family and friends to the detriment of our national development plans (The News, 2008).
In one of the most startling revelations, the out-gone CBN Governor, Prof. Soludo told the Committee investigating the power saga that the Central Bank of Nigeria paid a whooping sum of N917.8 billion on the power sector contracts. According to him, out of this figure, N422.2 billion was paid for jobs done locally while N4.2 billion was equally redressed for items sources abroad (The Guardian, 2008). It was also revealed that N16.2 billion was paid to a German company who does not know the road leading to the project site, neither was the contract supervised and religiously executed (This Day, 2008).
Testifying before the House Committee on Power and Steel, the former Minister in the ministry and current governor of Ondo state, Chief Olusegun Agagu shocked Nigerians when he said it was not within his schedule to know whether companies bidding for contracts were registered or not (The Guardian, 2008). The humble suggestion and ample opinion of this researcher is to say very well that any public office holder who does not know his constitutional responsibilities may likewise be expressing his share irresponsiveness. This does not apply in our national development pattern as a matter of fact.
Giving his own account which rather concealed more than it revealed, another former Minister of Power and Steel and now present governor of Cross River state, Senator Liyel Imoke alledged that he had no knowledge of how some contractors were paid up to 60 – 100% mobilization fees without evidence of first-phase performance (Daily Trust, 2008). This scenario also is a misnomer and hence suggests traces of sycophancy at the level of top bureaucracy during the said period of Obasanjo’s administration. Eventually, however, Nigerians were not fooled by a team of praise-singers who were literally bought over within the Abuja vicinity to applaud and distract proceedings to cover up this singular evil. Incidentally, a close examination of the testimonies of Nigerian public office holders as above shows clearly that no body seems to be bothered about the impact of the power sector scandal and the implications on our growing or dying economy.
There is also a deliberate attempt here to play down the issue and cover up the roles played by former president Obasanjo in throwing away huge public funds without due process and accountability and responsibility. Nigerian public office holders at this level have largely remained remorseless as a result of the culture of impurity entrenched and institutionalized by the former administration which is notorious for this kind of leadership traits. The most critical and dominant picture of this scenario is that of a bloodiest attempt to conceal corruption, criminality and executive recklessness, cover-ups, greed, avarice, self-aggrandizement and convenience at the expense of public interest. This constitutes a serious setback to overall national development in Nigeria (Leadership, 2008).
Against all odds, it will be recalled that the emergence of president Obasanjo through the beginning of the first phase of Nigerian democratic experiment was greeted by higher ethical standard initiated by the same regime and further transposed into the Nigerian public life geared towards decapitating and incapacitating the monster of corruption. This appears to be the background from which the Independent Corrupt Practice Commission (ICPC) and the twin Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were created with the hope of stamping out corruption in public lives in Nigeria. Therefore, corruption as one of the impediments that causes Nigeria’s backwardness thereby distorting national development and the corresponding regeneration of ICPC and EFCC generates a lot of enthusiasm and excitements that at least Nigeria has a saint in the most powerful public office in the history of the country.
From the foregoing analysis, Nigerians are now beginning to understand why the eight years of democracy under Obasanjo did not bring any significant improvement in the quality of lives of millions of Nigerians. Once can as well understand the shortfall and glaring hypocracy coming in the hills of the so-called anti-corruption crusade introduced to institutionalize sanity in the same system of wrongs in Nigeria.
In any case however, the anti-corruption gospel is now facing its own credibility problem. But will Yar’Adua muster enough courage and goodwill to investigate his predecessor with the trend of window-dressing scenario we have had in such cases involving past leaders in this country? Will the powerful political elite in Aso Rock who probably are partakers in this orchestra ever allow fair-play, credibility and transparency? Nigerians are however waiting with high level of enthusiasm to see what the outcome of this current power probe looks like at the end of the day.