Attempt by the Federal Ministry of Power to have an easy ride in defence of its 2021 budget on Thursday suffered a setback as Senate Committee on Power faulted alleged siting of 20 power projects in the Local Government Area of the Minister of Power ,Mamman Sale by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
The Senate Committee made this known when the Managing Director of the REA, Ahmed Salijo,appeared before it to defend the 2021 budget estimate of the Agency.
The Committee chaired by Senator Gabriel Suswam frowned at the allocation of such volume of projects in the minister’s local government when many communites in the country do not have any.
Senator Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf representing Taraba Central had drawn the attention of the lawmakers to the uneven distribution of the mini grid power projects for rural communites across the country
Yusuf said that 20 of the projects were sited in the Minister’s Lau Local Government Area,an allegation corroborated by another Senator,Bala Ibn Na’Allah representing Kebbi South.
According to Na’Allah, the Minister had by so doing, allowed his personal interest to affect his personal conduct and decision which he described as a serious matter.
He said” We will be failing in the oath of office we have taken to uphold and protect the constitution,if we allow this to go unchallenged.
The Committee thereafter asked the Managing Director of the REA to correct the anomalies in the distribution of the mini grid power projects as observed and appear before it on Monday.
