We cut Manbila project budget over fears of using N17 bn for mere EIA—Asuquo
House of Representative Committee Chairman on Power, Hon. Dan Asuquo has opened up on why the National Assembly slashed the budget on Manbila Power Project, saying lawmakers were put off on sighting a whooping N17bn allocated for just conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Business Hilights recalls that while giving details on why several capital projects in the 2017 budget may not be delivered last week, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola decried what he described as cutting down allocations which were agreed during budget defence hearings and meetings.
The Minister, who alleged that funds saved were ‘diverted’ from strategic projects into projects that were not the government’s priorities, hinted that the erratic power supply in the country was because the lawmakers ‘cut the budget for Manbila power project and the Bodo Bridge that connects the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Station.’
However, Fashola did not give details on what the fund cut from Manbila project was actually meant for, thus giving credence to the position of the House Committee chairman, Asuquo.
Experts in EIA who barred their minds on the cost of conducting EIA on the said power project all agreed that such allocation was clearly outrageous as it is too much for that aspect of the entire Manbila project.
Head of Research at Africa Environmental & Economic peace Mission (AEEPM), Dr. Dan Agu said “Even though power projects are costly in all its ramifications, that is not to say that it will cost up to N17bn to produce EIA report on Manbila in the first instance”.
“EIAs on power, airports and seaports are usually the costliest, but I think the House may be right to slash the cost as it will amount to looting of public fund to use more than N2 to N5bn to carry out the EIA on that scheme.
“In fact, I don’t see why the cost of an EIA on any power project site in Nigeria will even be in the region of billions of naira, if we want to tell ourselves the truth.
According to AEEPM, if instances like what has been revealed by the House Committee chairman, Asuquo; on Manbila power project are yardsticks used by the National Assembly to slash the projects, sane people will find it very hard to blame them or believe the outcries of the Executives including Fashola.
It would be recalled that the minister had during a briefing in Abuja last week labelled the lawmakers’ actions as ‘unfair’ to Nigerians who pay taxes to get things fixed in the country.
He had accused the National Assembly of sabotaging the completion of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, alleging that the lawmakers slashed N21b from the budgeted sum of N31b.
He also said a sum of N5b was slashed off the proposed sum for the Second Niger Bridge.
According to him, “What I have in my budget now is primary healthcare centres, boreholes. That was the meeting we had with the Acting President and that was the reason why the budget was not signed on time”.
“We were asked to complete those abandoned projects; the budget of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was reduced by the National Assembly from N31billion to N10billion.’
