The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has backed calls on President Muhammadu Buhari’s to order a probe into how $16 billion was expended on power under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo with no commensurate result to show for it.
The National Publicity Secretary of ACF, Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim Biu, told The Nation that such probe would help unravel the seeming invincibility that some past public office holders enjoy in the country.
He added that this would help give impetus to the anti-corruption war of the president administration.
He said that “the calls by some Nigerians on President Buhari to probe the alleged $16 billion power project scandal is not misplaced, considering the harm corruption has inflicted on the nation and the promise by this regime to fight it.
“From 1999 to date, the promises made by our political leaders to improve power supply have mostly been observed in the breach.
“The National Assembly had sometimes probed the alleged corruption associated with power supply, but Nigerians are yet to know the fate of that probe.
“Most worrisome is the lack of the political will to bring to justice those found guilty by the probes which have, unfortunately, continued to encourage corruption by making it a way of life and culture.
“Therefore, the change we need is to make public officials, however highly placed, account for their malfeasance while in office.
“The probe will serve as a deterrence to others and also instil prudence in managing public office for performance.”