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Lagos PDP, others disagree over warning to Buhari about Fashola

By Seye Olumide
04 November 2016   |   3:44 am
The PDP had warned Buhari to beware of Fashola, whom it described as having a notorious style and practice of promoting mediocrity, particularly on his “unverified claims” of achievements as governor.
Minister of Works, Power and Housing Babatunde Fashola

Minister of Works, Power and Housing Babatunde Fashola

• Party says minister has notorious style of promoting mediocrity
• Observers claim opposition group failed Nigerians for 16 years
• Ex-governor ignores critics, claims the country is developing

Many questions have been raised over the recent call to President Muhammadu Buhari by the Lagos State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), not to trust the Minster of Works, Power and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, who is also the immediate past governor of the state.

The PDP had warned Buhari to beware of Fashola, whom it described as having a notorious style and practice of promoting mediocrity, particularly on his “unverified claims” of achievements as governor.

The party said its patriotic advise was coming on the heels of the minister’s celebrating a proposed injection of a mere 30 mgawatts of power from the Gurara-hydro power plant, when indeed he has collected monumental funding well enough to have injected over 500 megawatts into the National grid.

In trying to flay the former governor over his acclaimed achievements in Lagos and to disparage him before the President, the PDP averred that at least there are signs of government presence under the Akinwunmi Ambode-led government compared to the claims of achievements under Fashola.

But political observers are asking whose interest the PDP is trying to protect, whether that of the President, the Nigerian masses or the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that ousted it from power in 2015.

Secondly, is the PDP contradicting itself by coming to terms that Ambode is performing despite its initial position that the incumbent has been doing everything possible to cover the deeds of his predecessor and by so doing not achieving anything different?

Political observers are also raising issues on whose scripts the party was trying to act, wondering whether it is that of those within the APC who wanted the minister’s downfall or telling Nigerians that electricity supply was comparatively better when the PDP was in power for 16 years.

Spokesman of the party, Mr. Taofik Gani, in a recent statement cautioned Buhari against the propaganda and inappropriate speculation of Fashola, saying: “The minister remains a misfit as a lawyer to occupy such combined ministries of engineering specialties.”

According to the party, “We sincerely advise president Buhari to be very weary of the deceptive skills of Fashola who will usually hype and celebrate even mediocrity.”

It says further that the minister has a penchant for misrepresenting facts of his achievements in government and would always rationalise obvious inadequacies.

The PDP added that as governor of Lagos, Fashola enjoyed unprecedented revenues and donations “yet left many services untouched or unfinished but deliberately funded his pro-Fashola media and commentators so much that pseudo and exaggerated achievements were ascribed to him.

“He employed this model to promote his eight years government of mediocrity, while he ended up making Lagos the most indebted with local and foreign debts well over 1 trillion naira.”

Although the PDP said its position does not mean it is adopting Ambode, itnoted that at least there are signs of government presence in some erstwhile abandoned areas under Fashola.

Speaking in defense of the former governor, a source within the party urged the Lagos PDP to mind its business and engage in constructive criticisms instead of trying to set Mr. President against his cabinet members.

The source also said it is true that the former governor has his own shortcomings. “However it does not remove the fact that Lagos witnessed some improvements under his watch, which his successor is currently building on.”

According to him, “If the PDP agrees there is semblance of governance under Ambode, the party is as well saying that Fashola did his part from where his successor is taking off. On the other hand, the additional 30 megawatts was not to the minister’s credit but that of the administration under, which he is serving.”

Despite the PDP position, the minister has expressed the hope that the project would be completed early next year, saying the government was determined to increase the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in the country using various energy mix.

He disclosed that the Buhari government was developing wind power in Kastina, hydropower in Kaduna, hydropower in Kasibila saying, “we have been to Jebba, we have been to Kainji, Shiroro, slowly the energy mix is coming together.”

He said that government would soon complete and begin the evacuation of electricity from the plant. He pointed out that approval has been granted by the Federal Executive Council to complete the Gurara- Kudanda substation.

The minister said that there was collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing on the Gurara project.

3 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    It’s becoming obvious everyday that some politicians are dump and self centred. This is like the very first time a former governor of a state is being made minister of works housing and power. Three critical components of development Lagos state is struggling with. Instead for these idiots to work in tandem with the minister on how their state can benefit immensely, they are busy abusing one of the most articulate and competent politicians around . I hope it won’t be too late for them before they realize that a great opportunity has passed them by. Just two days ago I read in this paper where some people from another part of the country praising this same minister and also pointing to him some areas that also need his attention. Well as the saying goes, you sometimes don’t appreciate what you have until it’s lost.

    • Author’s gravatar

      Over 80 m naira for personal website, over 300m naira to dig borehole. He cannot even articulate the problems and goals of the ministry that he heads.
      If you say this is the most articulate politician in Nigeria then we are doomed.
      This man has no integrity to have accepted to head ministries of which he has no professional knowledge.
      How does one articulate positions on issues he has little or no understanding of?

  • Author’s gravatar

    This statement only makes PDP an honest party if it can point one in the opposition APC and say he performs and another in thesame apc and say he is dangerous. Their assessment is not blinded by party politics. This makes them better than the apc wailers!