AFTER ACCUSING FIRST TERM MINISTERS OF POOR PERFORMANCE , SALEH MAMMAN TURNS AROUND TO SAY THAT THE WORKS MINISTER HAD PERFORMED CREDITABLY

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By Timileyin Omilana

Despite castigating public office holders who led the power ministry in the last four years for not achieving “much improvement,” Nigeria’s minister of power Sale Mamman on Tuesday said that he has respect for his predecessor in the ministry.A spokesman to the minister Aaron Artimas said in a statement on Monday that the power sector has not seen much improvement since 2015 when President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in despite the heavy government investment in the sector.

“All right-thinking Nigerians are aware that since assuming power in 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari has poured billions of naira and attracted huge foreign investments into the power sector with the aim of improving the generation and distribution of electricity to Nigerians,” Artimas said in the statement.

“Nigerians should be asking why there was not much improvement in the sector after such concerted efforts by the government and not encourage “wailers” to sulk over public officers who had been in the ministry for over four years without tangible results.”

Moreover, Artimas noted that the ministry was controlled by a “cabal” and “untouchables” before Mamman was appointed as minister for power.

These groups, he said, “are now resisting any form of re-organization meant to re-postion the Ministry.”

Many perceived the statement as a clear indictment of Babatunde Fashola who led the ministry between 2015 and May 2019 when Buhari’s first term ended.

The former Lagos State governor oversaw power, works and housing in Buhari’s first term. He currently leads the Ministry of Works and Housing

“This is such an unfortunate press release,” Kayode Abaniwonda wrote on Twitter. “Totally unnecessary and badly written. It practically attacked the previous appointees of @MBuhari of incompetence and failure. I wonder how @EngrSMamman expect his colleague @tundefashola to feel about this.”

“See how the four years of Babatunde Fashola is been tagged to be corrupt in this press release,” another Twitter user Tosin Ougbenga said.

But Artimas said in a separate statement on Tuesday that his principal had no misgiving about Fashola.

“The Minister of Power holds His Excellency Babatunde Raji Fashola in high esteem as one of the most celebrated public servants in the country,” he said.

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