$16b Power Project ''I’m ready for probe'' Obasanjo Dares President Buhari

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that he is ready to be probed over the $16b Power Project carried out during his administration. Recall that President Buhari earlier today, mocked the former president for embarking on the power project that cost so much with no result to show for it. President Buhari said the former president had questions to answer.


In a statement released by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, the former president said he is ready for a probe. According to the former president, the power project under his administration has been documented in his book, My Watch, and that if President Buhari cannot read it, he should give the book to any of his aides to read and then summarise in a language he would understand..


Read the statement below


‘It has come to the attention of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo that a statement credited to President Muhammadu Buhari, apparently without correct information and based on ignorance, suggested that $16 billion was wasted on power projects by “a former President”.  We believe that the President was re-echoing the unsubstantiated allegation against Chief Obasanjo by his own predecessor but one’.


Obasanjo argued that while it is doubtful that a President with proper understanding of the issue would utter such, it should be pointed out that records from the National Assembly had exculpated him (Obasanjo) of any wrong-doing concerning the power sector and has proved the allegations as false.


“For the records, Chief Obasanjo has addressed the issues of the power sector and the allegations against him on many occasions and platforms, including in his widely publicised book, My Watch in which he exhaustively stated the facts and reproduced various reports by both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which conducted a clinical investigation into the allegations against Chief Obasanjo, and the Ad-Hoc Committee on the Review of the Recommendations in the Report of the Committee on Power on the Investigation into how the Huge Sums Of Money was Spent on Power Generation, Transmission And Distribution between June 1999 and May 2007 without Commensurate Result,” .


The former president said President Buhari should read chapters 41, 42, 43 and 47 of his book, ''My Watch'' for his insights and perspectives on the power sector during his time and that if the president cannot read, he should give the books to his aides to read and then summarise to a language he would understand.


“If he cannot read the three-volume book, he should detail his aides to do so and summarise the chapters in a language that he will easily understand,” Obasanjo said