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By Lukman Olabiyi
A Civil Society Organisation, Coalition of West African Investigative Journalists (COWAFIJ), has called for investigation into the spending of over $550m repayable grant by Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP).
The latter, a unit in the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), according to COWAFIJ at a press conference in Lagos, obtained the said loan from World Bank and African Development Bank under the incumbent Managing Director of REA. The group’s General Secretary, Gboyega Adeoye said since the current REA’s Managing Director took over in December 2019, NEP’s repayable grants from World Bank and African Development Bank to improve access to electricity in underprivileged communities across Nigeria, which is its core mandate, totalled over $550 million. The grant usage, Adeoye alleged, has been characterised by misuse and diversion, claiming several contracts awarded in respect of the loan are also in violation of public procurement law.
“It is worrisome that in spite of the huge sum at the disposal of NEP, access to power is still a mirage in virtually all disadvantaged communities in the country. “In fact, there is no way anyone can palliate, disguise or deodorise the wasteful spending of the humongous sum that is devoid of internal review, external oversight or accountability, with violation of public procurement law a constant theme in contracts awarded in respect of the money. “In any case, the federal government is duty-bound to repay the grant and so, it behoves it to know how it was spent, particularly when it is obvious that the money has not answered its purpose, as energy poverty among the poor groups is on the rise.
“It is based on the foregoing that we call on President Tinubu to step in and do the needful by instigating probe of the over $550 million loan of which $350m is from World Bank,” he said. Adeoye also urged World Bank to stay action on its plan to give NEP a fresh $750 million grant until the spending of the initial grant was accounted for.
