Clarify and simplify (Nigerian corruption)
At times the headlines, detailed accounts, and the use of nicknames and abbreviations in the Nigerian press make figuring out the politics a real chore.This report from The Economist does a good job, I think, of describing much of what's going on in the effort to identify corruption in Obasanjo's administration. Based on what I've read, this article underplays the blatant and enormous fleecing of the public in a nearly imaginary drive to create a reliable electrical generation infrastructure (which has produced no new power plants or transmission lines), but it is easier to understand than most Nigerian press accounts.
The past catches up
"Olusegun Obasanjo's reputation as a financially prudent president is being undermined by a series of investigations... Given that President Yar’Adua [right] was hand-picked by his predecessor, and that Olusegun Obasanjo is widely perceived to be his mentor, this is something of an embarrassment to the head of state, and many Nigerians are now watching to see how he responds to the mounting evidence of mismanagement and corruption during the Obasanjo era."Thus far, most of the charges of poor governance have not called into question Mr Obasanjo's personal integrity, so Mr Yar'Adua has not had to consider the need for some form of investigation or even charges against the former president. However, the corruption cases are getting closer to the former president.In early May, Nigeria's high court ruled that Mr Obasanjo's daughter, a senator, must face charges in a corruption case...
"[T]he Senate is continuing with its probe [that]... has already led to evidence that attempts to improve the electricity supply—at an estimated cost of US$16bn between 2000 and 2007—had no real benefit...
"All told, therefore, Mr Obasanjo is expected to come under even greater scrutiny in the next few months, forcing Mr Yar'Adua to try to find a balance between being seen to be tackling corruption and avoiding the ire of powerful people such as Mr Obasanjo..."
Labels: corruption, Nigeria
posted by Ken Wedding @ 8:32 AM
1 Comments:
Monday, 12 May 2008
Obasanjo denies power corruption
"Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has denied any responsibility for the failure of the country's power generation industry.
"In a 5,000 word written submission to a parliamentary investigation panel, he said his administration had increased the amount of power generated...
"The House of Representatives investigation alleged that Mr Obsanjo's government had paid millions of dollars to 34 "non-existent companies".
"The committee visited the sites where power stations were meant to be built.
"It found no work had been done at some sites after several years..."
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