SERAP tasks Buhari on epileptic power situation

By Tasie Theodore

Displeased over the epileptic power situation in Nigeria, the civic society watchdog, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP has handed President Muhammadu Buhari a seven day fix it charge.

According to the group, the president should immediately “direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, and appropriate anti-corruption agencies to promptly and thoroughly investigate how over N11 trillion meant to provide regular electricity supply has been allegedly squandered by governments since 1999.”

After the probe, SERAP is urging that those ‘suspected to be responsible should face prosecution as appropriate, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, and any missing public funds should be traced and fully recovered.”

That is not all as the group is also requesting the President to “refer to the International Criminal Court all unimplemented reports of corruption in the electricity sector gathering dust on the shelves, and to arrest and surrender those named in the reports to the court for prosecution.”

The group’s anger which mirrors the popular disposition of many Nigerians is arising from the collapse of the national grid, which has plunged the country into near total darkness of sorts, with power generation capacity dropping to a mere 2,000 megawatts, and with about 14 power plants shutting down.

Putting the matter in stark relief in an open letter to the President that was dated 19 March, 2022 and signed by SERAP 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.”

President Buhari has just returned from a medical vacation in the United Kingdom.

President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria