CNPP FAULTS $7M COAL POWER PLANTS' CONTRACTS

By NBF News

ABUJA-Registered opposition political parties have raised an alarm over the $7million consultancy contract awarded for Coal Fired Power Plants to be located in Enugu, Benue, Kogi and Gombe States, alleging that the contract was a ploy to siphon the nation's treasury by this administration.

Operating under the umbrella body of Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, the parties recalled that the PDP-led Federal Government had since year 2000 to date, spent over $20million on feasibility studies' consultancy on Coal Fired Power Plants for Enugu, Benue, Kogi and Gombe States

The CNPP, in a statement  by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, yesterday, noted the plethora of similar studies by private firms all at the disposal of the Federal Ministry of Power and the PHCN.

Mr. Okechukwu stressed further that, 'even the Power Road Map released recently by President Jonathan highlighted the existence of update studies.'

According to him, 'the Federal Executive Council, FEC, presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, in continuation of orgy of waste and corruption, awarded consultancy contract at over $7million for Coal Fired Power Plants to be located in Enugu, Benue, Kogi and Gombe States.

'In the same meeting, the FEC re-awarded road contracts earlier awarded, running into billions, among which was the dualisation of Agege-Ota-Abeokuta, a road awarded to Julius Berger Plc in 2001 at N7.1billion.

'Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, is miffed by such wastage and cover-up of corruption under President Jonathan; which accounts for why the over $20billion the regime inherited in May 2007 has depleted to less than $3billion.

'Accordingly, we are at a loss why President Jonathan is wasting huge funds and valuable time; when such studies are under his watch, just for asking?

'On re-award of road contracts, we applaud President Jonathan; however we detest the cover-up of billions siphoned by previous regimes, for the votes for the roads appear repeatedly in our duly appropriated annual budgets.

'Take for example the Agege-Ota-Abeokuta, Ilorin-Ibadan, Owerri-Onitsha and Gombe-Maiduguri and others; what happened to the monies appropriated and disbursed for their construction?

'In sum, President Jonathan should to stop selling off our silver; consequently we challenge Nigerians not to vote for any presidential candidate who is not ready to renew the war against corruption and recover our looted funds.'