POWER PROBE

The House Panel probing the award and execution of Independent Power Projects in the country has been inviting the actors involved in the awarding and supervising of these Power Projects said to be worth a collective amount of $16billion.

The latest person to be invited is our erstwhile former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo-though not surprising he refused to show up citing illness. What continues to baffle me is the level of corruption and laxity that was involved in the award of these contracts. For a government that sang ‘Due Process’ throughout its lifetime, its unfortunate to note that this was discarded to the dustbin when it came to the projects. All we have heard from these principal actors is to trade blames amongst each other and pass the buck or feign total ignorance. The facts on ground don’t lie. During the tour made by the panel to all the locations where this projects were to be cited all they saw were abandoned projects, slow pace of work in places where the contractor has even just managed to start something.

The question to ask these our so called leaders is how could such huge amount be allowed to fritter away with no checks and balances? How can they explain instances where money running into hundreds of millions of dollars has been paid some contractors yet level of work still falls below 5% or 0% in some cases?

Nigerians have been thrown into darkness with PHCN now serving as the secondary source of power while Generators has taken over as the primary. It is very unfortunate and depressing that these same cabals that put us into this situation are still in Government or still frolicking with Government with no shame whatsoever for their misdeeds.

We are all waiting to see what the outcome of the Probe will be whether it will go down the drain like the past probes we’ve witnessed in this country, eg Gulf War Oil Windfall just to name one. But one thing I want the Panel and the Executive arm of the government to know is that if noting tangible comes out of these dirty revelations then our country is doomed and we all better start praying.

MY HEART BLEEDS

My last post was on the 17th of April. A lot of events have taken place since that last time. I think of my country with sorrow and tears in my eyes. We have come a long way as a nation yet with little or nothing to show for it. Am reminded constantly of the saying that ‘It s Not How Long or How Far BUT How Well’. Nigeria has not done well.

The much taunted Giant of Africa has simply refused to grow from its dwarfish stature. A potentially great country we’ve been labeled but we’ve failed to wake up from our lethargy and stupor to turn that Potential power to Kinetic (moving energy).
It is not for lack or want of resources be it material, human just name it and we have enough of it. The cause of our being in this sorrowful and dejected state can be traced to every Nigerian living and dead. We’ve all refused to play our parts towards building a greater Nigeria. We’ve paid lip service to those norms and values that have founded the great nations of this world. The irony is that we all blame the other person while forgetting that we as guilty as those we blame. My heart bleeds when I see the poverty pervading our society in the midst of plenty, I see darkness around me in the midst of light, I see despair and anger written all over the faces of the populace in a country which is full of hope.

We all need to take stock and reassess ourselves and determine that in our own little way, we will make meaningful contributions to the growth and well being of this country. What are you still waiting for?
God Bless Nigeria.

HILARY’s PRIDE

Hilary Clinton is a very ambitious woman no doubt and it’s not altogether wrong to be. What is wrong is when you ambitions is against popular opinions or wishes.

The way the Democratic election is going tends to point towards the direction of Barack Obama as becoming its Presidential Nominee he leads in popular votes and in Super Delegates. Hilary seems to be fighting a lost cause and all she needs to do now is to step down and give all the support she can to Obama. She should know that stepping down is not a sign of weakness on her part but what should come to her mind is that great leaders are not made in victory alone but even in defeat you could be made great.