By U.S. Ladan (Snr)
“To cure injustice, you must expose them before the light of human conscience and the bar of public opinion, regardless of whatever tensions that exposure generates”
Your Excellency, I want to start by first welcoming you back from your medical treatment in the United Kingdom. I say, to Allah be the glory! At last, some of your detractors and other associated unidentified flying objects (UFOs) who have been very busy carrying out campaign of calumny about your ill-health have been put to shame.
The essence of this write-up is to draw your attention to the travails the former members of staff of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) are going through due to non-payment of their severance package. As I write, over 5,000 of them have not been paid a dime, terminal benefits, gratuity and other entitlements.
Even those that were paid, up till this moment, their terminal allowances such as; leave, housing, annual productivity bonus, 16 months arrears, etc. have not been paid as agreed before the eventual takeover by the so-called un-identified investors. The former staff are dying on daily basis as a result of man’s inhumanity to man. In addition, over 1,000 death benefits have not been paid.
You will agree with me the so-called privatization was nothing but a sham, which signifies nothing but transfer of our common patrimony to selfish, greedy, egocentric political predators, family and friends. It may interest you to note that the total asset of PHCN is estimated at over five trillion naira, but it was sold for less than half one trillion naira. Even when there was a court injunction not to hand over Kaduna Electricity Distribution, they still went ahead with their obnoxious action.
If I may ask: Is there any visible difference between the pre and post privatization? Are we not still hovering between the traditional 4,000MW plus? While South Africa and Egypt, with less than 100 million in population are generating over 60,000MW. What an irony!
I appeal to you once again, to use your good offices as a matter of urgency to compel the authorities concerned to pay these people their severance/terminal benefits. Since there is no going back on the privatization exercise, there should be no going back on the payment of their entitlement period! These helpless Nigerians also voted for you. In my last letter to you, I vehemently opposed the extension of the $23 million contract of Manitoba Hydro-International Company of Canada, the company given the responsibility of maintaining the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
It is not advisable to hand over our entire 330/132KV transmission network to a foreign company due to its security implications. We appreciate you and Minister Fashola for not extending the contract. Thank you once again, as you strive against all odds to make Nigeria a better place to live in.
I was made to understand that the federal government is working towards another bailout for the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) for the metering of electricity consumers. It is high time you broke your silence and asked questions on the happenings in the power industry? Notable Nigerians like the former Vice President, Alh. Atiku Abubakar, Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker Yakubu Dogara and business mogul, Aliko Dangote have all lent their voices to this illegality. In February 2015, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) gave loans to the GENCOs and DISCOs. The apex bank disbursed a total sum of N182.6 billion to Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilization Facility (NEMSF). And barely some days later, it gave another sum of N39.53 billion to the second batch of beneficiaries.
These are interventions from the apex bank which I expect the CBN Governor to comment on whether it is a legal, logical and acceptable norm to sell a so-called non-performing company to someone and later give the person money to help run the it. What a Father Christmas, indeed! Let the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, tell us what the money was used for, and what necessitated the so-called intervention. For history and posterity sake, do not approve any further bailout for the companies.
After all, they promised to invest their monies in the companies. So, where are the so-called investments? I hope you will find time despite your tight schedule to go through this letter.

Ladan (Snr) writes from Jos via [email protected]

 

 

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