A new book has detailed how the immediate past President, Muhammad Buhari, wrongly gave a $10 million approval for Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc to award a gas contract for Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) Limited.
This revelation was contained in a book written by former Special Adviser to the President on Media, Femi Adesina, titled ‘Working with Buhari’.
The book, which narrated the encounter of the former Managing Director of NBET, Marilyn Amobi, with Buhari, disclosed that the $10 million gas deal was a partial risk guarantee (PRG) of the World Bank for Accugas to supply natural gas to the Calabar Generation Company Limited (CGCL), a power plant that was in the portfolio of NDPH.
While Amobi was said to have stood against the deal with a note to the President, Buhari said he was wrongly advised. While most stakeholders wondered how many such deals were sealed, the book did not mention any sanctions that followed the action.
The revelation comes at a time when the signature of the ex-president was said to have been forged to make a withdrawal from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). It also comes at a time when the gas suppliers are said to be owed $1.3 billion.
The book noted that the gas approval was in a letter dated March 2, 2017, with reference number: FMP/9055/S.1/ Vol. 1/69 and the President’s approval on the said letter dated March 27, 2017.
“This letter is entitled: Approval for NBET to sign agreements relating to World Bank Partial Risk Guarantee for gas supply to the NDPHC Calabar Power Plant,” the book noted.
The book quoted Amobi as saying that Buhari explained his predicament trusting people to advise him on many industries, which he had no adequate knowledge of.
“He told me that the President is answerable to Nigerians about all the decisions the government makes. But many Nigerians do not know how the President makes the decisions that he makes for the country. He told me that in my office, where I am the MID, I have people that I trust and accept their advice to approve things or make certain decisions. He emphasised that I may find out after I have approved some things that the same people that I trusted to make the decisions, gave me the wrong advice.
“He went ahead to tell me that the same way that I have people that I trust to make decisions in my office, is the same way that he has some people that he trusts their opinions to make decisions regarding the power sector,” Adesina recounted.
