Fashola Replies Jonathan, Denies Saying Power Could Be Fixed In Six Months

Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has fired back at President Goodluck Jonathan over his comment on the power problem in the country.
Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has denied ever saying that the country’s power problems could be fixed in six months.

Fashola has been reacting to statements credited to the former President that when he was governor of Lagos Sate, he had said “a serious government at the centre should be able to fix power within six months”.

Jonathan allegedly made the comments while receiving one of the chairmanship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof Tunde Adeniran at his private residence in Abuja on Thursday.

Jonathan said: “The PDP administration for 16 years did well and will continue to do well but this administration has done nothing. They deployed propaganda and lies at a professional level.

“In the power sector, we did well to revive it. A state governor attacked our government, saying that any serious government should be able to fix the power challenge within six months.

“Today, APC has been in power for how many years now? Fortunately the then governor is in the APC government as a minister.”

Fashola in his reaction said it was unfortunate to know that Jonathan would accuse the current government of not doing enough in the power sector.

Fashola, who spoke through his Senior Special Adviser on Communications, Hakeem Bello, said it was sad that the former President does not have his facts right.

He said: “It is unfortunate that the former President does not have his facts right. This is because there was nowhere that the current Minister of Power, Works and Housing and former Governor of Lagos State said he could fix Nigeria’s power challenges in six months.

“If he (Jonathan) needs clarification, we can provide that, instead of stating things that are not factual with respect to the minister and the power sector.”