By Innocent Anaba

Coalition of West African Investigative Journalists, COWAFIJ, a civil society organisation, has called for investigation into the spending of over $550million repayable grant by Nigeria Electrification Project, NEP.

NEP is a unit in Rural Electrification Agency, REA.

General Secretary of COWAFIJ, who addressed newsmen in Lagos, yesterday, noted that the loan was obtained from World Bank and African Development Bank under the incumbent Managing Director of REA, Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad.

Adeoye said since the current REA’s Managing Director, Ahmad, took over in December 2019, NEP’s repayable grants from World Bank and African Development Bank to improve access to electricity in underprivileged communities across Nigeria, which is its core mandate totalled over $550milliin, approximately N426bllion.

Adeoye alleged that the grant, has been characterised by misuse and diversion, claiming that several contacts awarded in respect of the loan were also in violation of public procurement law.

He said: “It is worrisome that despite the huge sum at the disposal of NEP, access to power is still a mirage in virtually all disadvantaged communities in the country.

“In fact there is no way anyone can palliate, disguise or deodorize the wasteful spending of the humongous sum that is devoid of internal review, external oversight or accountability, with violation of public procurement law a constant theme in contracts awarded in respect of the money.

“In any case, the Federal Government is duty-bound to repay the grant and so, it behoves it to know how it was spent, particularly when it is obvious that the money has not answered its purpose as energy poverty among the poor groups is on the rise.

“It is based on the foregoing that we call on President Bola Tinubu to step in and do the needful by instigating probe of the over $550million loan of which $350million is from World Bank.”

He called on the World Bank to stay action on its plan to give NEP a fresh $750million grant until the spending of the initial grant are accounted for.