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Isaac Anumihe and Adewale Sanyaolu
The crisis in the Power Ministry appears to have been over as President Muhammadu Buhari, yet again overruled the Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, to reinstate the Managing Director of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company Limited (NBET), Marilyn Amobi.
Mamman, had on December 24, 2019, asked Amobi and her counterpart in the Rural Electrification Agency, Mrs. Damilola Ogunbiyi, to step down with immediate effect in order to ‘’restore sanity’’ in the management of the two agencies.
Amobi’s reinstatement is contained in a memo issue by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
In sacking the NBET boss, the Minister also directed the constitution of a 5-man investigative committee to look into the allegations against the MD.
A General Manager of the agency, Nnaemeka Ewelukwa immediately assumed office as the acting Managing Director of NBET.
Ewelukwa has, however, been asked to step aside for Amobi to resume her former position.
Sources familiar with the crisis in the power sector had predicted that the Amobi would stage a comeback considering her strong ties with the Chief of Staff to the President, as she is said to be in his good books and that of the Minister of State for Power.
Prior to her appointment as MD/CEO of NBET, Amobi was a Senior Special Adviser to the President
( Office of the Vice President).
Mamman had on Monday, in a statement issued by his Special Assistant, Mr. Aaron Artimas, provided additional reasons why the Managing Directors of REA and NBET were removed from office.
The statement alleged that the sacked bosses of REA and NBET were part of a cabal which held the power Ministry by the throat and were “denying Nigerians the full value of their huge investments in the power sector.”
“As early as November last year, this cabal began to sponsor insidious reports using some faceless groups in Lagos, claiming that ‘the Ministry of Power was failing under the new Minister.”
