By Kola Alhassan
President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) to probe how over N11 trillion earmarked for regular electricity had allegedly been squandered by successive administrations since 1999.
The group made the appeal following the collapse of the national grid.
In a letter signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “Nigerians have for far too long been denied justice and the opportunity to get to the bottom of why they continue to pay the price for corruption in the electricity sector – staying in darkness – but still made to pay crazy electricity bills.
“The staggering amounts of public funds alleged to have been stolen over the years in the electricity sector have had catastrophic effects on the lives of millions of Nigerians, akin to crimes against humanity and the Nigerian people.”
Oluwadare explained that the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights stated that failure of the state to make basic services such as electricity available was a violation of rights.
The group pleaded with the President to act on the judgment of Justice Chuka Austine Obiozor which says: “Your government should immediately publish the names of companies and the whereabouts of the contractors paid by governments since 1999 to carry out electricity projects across the country, but disappeared with the money without executing any project.”
It said acting on the judgement could , “reveal individuals, contractors and companies allegedly responsible for squandering over N11 trillion meant to provide regular electricity supply under successive governments, lead to the prosecution of suspected perpetrators and recovery of any missing public fund.”
