By Aliyu DANLADI
A civil society group, Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative (EUYI), has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) over fraud against Nigeria by General Electric (GE) International and Rockson Engineering Nigeria Ltd.
the National Coordinator, EUYI, Mr Solomon Adodo, I said on Thursday in Abuja that the petition was sequel to the investigation by the House of Representatives’ findings by its Ad-hoc committee investigating GE and Rockson Engineering Ltd.
Adodo said that the group was pained at the deafening silence accorded the reports of investigation into the huge sums spent on power generation, transmission and distribution between 1999 and 2007 without commensurate result.
He said that more disturbing was that most of the companies that played key roles in the taking over of the power sector were indicted by the report chronicling the greatest heist against the Nigeria economy and its people.
Adodo in the petition said that those people had resurfaced under a new consortium to continue their unfettered looting and defrauding of the Nigeria government, while posing as Nigeria technology partner in the power sector.
According to the petition, it is saddening to note that General Electric International and her Nigeria partner, Rockson Engineering Ltd. now hide under the nest of a corruptly contrived consortium with GE.
The petition stated that the deliberate sabotage committed against Nigeria as revealed by the House of Representatives reports specifically recommended that GE Rockson Engineering and their cronies must be subjected to thorough investigation and prosecution.
“It is therefore imperative that the EFCC expedites action to halt the decimation of our economy while hounding the individuals or entities behind these crimes.
“The avowed stand of President Muhammdu Buhari-led administration not only to fight corruption and economic crimes to a standstill but also to right the compounded wrongs of many years perpetrated against Nigerian,” he said.
According to the petition, these wrongs cannot be shoved aside, to this extent this GE/Rockson Engineering consortium fraud presents a clear litmus test and the EFCC is hereby called upon to do the needful.
The petition stated that since 1999 the federal Government had invested over 20 billion dollars to ensure there was stable supply of electricity, adding that inspired of the huge investment, the country’s power continued to wobble.
This, according to the petition is due largely to the deliberate activities of GE and its conspirators who had sabotaged the effort of the Federal Government.
The House of Representatives had in 2008 constituted an Ad-hoc committee to investigate the power sector expenditure; the outcome of the reports berated the fraudulent and sordid acts of GE and its allies.
The reports recommended that GE, Rockson and their cronies should be subjected to criminal investigation and prosecution.
