A detailed explanations of how former president Muhammadu Buhari “mistakenly” approved $10 million for the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) to award a contract for Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) Limited, has emerged.
This revelation was contained in a book by former presidential media aide, Femi Adesina, in his book entitled “Working with Buhari”.
Narrating the encounter of former managing director of NBET, Marilyn Amobi with Buhari, the book revealed that $10 million gas contract was a Partial Risk Guarantee (PRG) of the World Bank.
The contract was for Accugas to supply natural gas to Calabar Generation Company Limited which was in the portfolio of the NDPHC.
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.
Buhari, however blamed his advisers for the error after Amobi pointed out the mistake in the contract in a note to the president.
The book, however, failed to state how Buhari sanctioned his appointees for the wrong advice.
It would be recalled that former secretary to the government of the federation, Boss Mustapha, recently disclosed that Buhari’s signature was forged to withdraw over $6 million from the Central Bank of Nigeria under Godwin Emefiele’s watch.
The money, it was gathered, was used to pay foreign election observers who were in the country for the 2023 general elections.
