5th September, 2012
Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have described the resignation of Barth Nnaji as Minister of Power as best for his integrity.
They commended him for taking such a rare decision in a country where political appointees would not consider resigning even in the face of glaring unethical practices.
According to them, political office holders must now learn from Nnaji’s resignation as it had become a lesson to all.
Speaking in separate interviews recently, Hodewu Avoseh Suru from Badagry Constituency 2 and Olumuyiwa Jimoh representing Apapa Constituency 2, agreed that Nnaji was a man of honour, who had to do what he did.
According to Avoseh, “I saw it on the television that the Power Minister had resigned and the President had accepted it.
“It might not be unconnected with the privatisation process in the country and the allegation that two companies belonging to him are interested in the contract. If he had done it to protect his integrity, he has done the right thing.”
Avoseh stressed that everybody saw Nnaji as one who was prepared to bail the country out of the problems in the power sector.
“I heard that in Badagry they have been having light for two months with a little interruption, which is very rare and I know that is the situation in many other places.“Everything would have been alright with somebody like him,” he said.
Olumuyiwa Jimoh also said that the professor had done the right thing since he was alleged to have interest in two of the companies that bid for the contract in the privatisation process.
“It takes a man of courage to do what he did. As a professor, I think the man has integrity; that is why he resigned from an that position,” he stated.
He commended the courage Nnaji demonstrated by resigning, adding that the power sector had disappointed the people of the country for long, “especially as the Federal Government did not know what it is doing.
“In a place like Lagos State, we have taken an initiative to start independent power supply, independent of the Federal Government. That is why the state is advocating that power generation should be taken away from the exclusive list,” he said.
He explained that so much money had been committed to the power sector in the past and there was no performance which has led to lack of confidence in the sector.“Even if they are going to perform magic, I don’t think people believe anything will come out of their Israel or Nazareth . “We in Lagos State are going to demonstrate to the whole world that it is possible. We have started the IPP project with the State House in Marina as a sample and it is serving the environs and we are also in Ikeja experimenting and before you know it, we are on our own,” he said.
—Eromosele Ebhomele