By Oladisun Amosun
In consonance with the prevailing mourning mood in the country, following the demise of Chief of Army Staff Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, the much publicised day 2 of the Investigative Hearing into how the over $2b received in grants for Renewable Energy Development since 2015 was expended, was abridged and the exercise adjourned sine-a- die.
Ministers scheduled to appear before the committee, according to the Chairman House of Reps Committee on Renewable Energy Rep. Victor Afam Oghene, had been set in the mourning mood with the cancellation of Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council FEC meeting, adding that in the same vein, the Hearing would not go on full stream as earlier scheduled, but have to be put forward again.
Rep. Oghene described Investigative Hearing as an on-going process that may go beyond initially fixed dates as the process must be thorough and could involve oversights.
He however in deference to CEOs of MDAs present at the exercise formally accepted presentations from them and allowed those that have earlier done so to affirm their documents.
The National President, Association for Public Policy Analysis, Chief Princewill Okorie raised the issues of challenges and safety to Renewable Energy Development in the country, given the ‘Anything goes’ syndrome of doing business in Nigeria.
He submitted that since the era of Renewable Energy in Nigeria, especially as it concerns solar energy, materials and other products brought in to execute contracts in the sub sector had been sub standard and responsible for short live solar power systems installed in Nigeria as against other climes.
Okorie emphasised the need to improve on safety and standard if the Renewable Energy subsector must grow.
Committee Chairman noted that though the emphasis of the investigative hearing was on the utilization of the multi-million dollar grant secured since 2015 till present, he however described Chief Okorie’s note of warning on safety and standard as apt, pointing out that the development inclusion of non state stakeholders are meant to bring out such vibrancy on issues under investigation, as exhibited by the association.