TheCable

Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi west, has alleged that the ministry of power spent $385 million on a project that was not appropriated by the national assembly.

Speaking on the floor of the senate on Wednesday, Melaye said the project which he identified as “fast power” was meant to build generating plants that would add power to the national grid.

“Sometime last year, the ministry of power sector came up project they termed fast power. The project is supposed to be for the building of new generating plants to add power to our grid,” he said.

“There are few questions I need to ask. Up till date, there is no detail on this new generating plant. There is no appropriation by national assembly for this project. The ministry has spent $35 million on the affirmed fast power project that has no appropriation or no detailed feasibility study. How and when was this money appropriated?

“Out of this money, $29 million was purportedly paid to General Electric for turbine while $6 million was paid to others. This is a monumental fraud. We need senate to investigate this after moving a substantive motion. To continue the anti-corruption fight.”

He also said in 2013, the federal government raised $1 billion from Eurobond, out of which $350 million was given to IBEX, a company.

Melaye alleged that the money was stolen.