TheCable

Rochas Okorocha, senator representing Imo west, says Babatunde Fashola started having grey hairs when he began to handle three large ministries.

Fashola, the immediate past minister of power, works and housing, was among the returning ministers nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari for his second tenure.

Speaking on Monday during the screening of ministerial nominees at the senate, Okorocha said the three ministries are too large to be handled by one person.

“I thought the three ministries are too large to be handled by one person. Look at my friend now. He is having grey hairs at a young age,” he said.

In his address, Fashola, who was governor of Lagos state between 2009 and 2015, said the ministry of power has been dealing with regulatory issues since the privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

“Before the privatisation, the ministry of power had 50,000 staff,” he said.

“After privatisation, that number moved to 790 and at the last budget, we were accounting for 699 people.

“This is because we no longer own trucks or meters. We now face regulation. It’s just like the telecommunications sector where we have the NCC and the ministry.”

When asked how much fund the power sector required to ensure stable electricity, Fashola said: “I’ve already addressed the issue of funding as our major challenge. My suggestion is that we should raise an infrastructure fund where Nigerians can contribute their money.”