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End Of PHCN As New Firms Take Over …Labour Threatens Showdown

Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State (middle) with former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, and Director, Port Harcourt Book Festival, Mrs Koko Kalango, at the Port Harcourt Book Festival in Port Harcourt recently.
Following the Federal Government’s November 1, 2013 deadline for the final unbundling of Power Holding Company of Nigeria and handover of electricity generation and distribution in the country, new investor – companies will take over the affairs of the PHCN with effect from today.
Already, officials of the Ministry of Power, the taskforce on power reform and other stakeholders are expected at the handover ceremony to be performed on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Godknows Igali.
The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company will be handed over to a power consortium, which entered into partnership with nine investors that came together under a consortium agreement to bid for acquisition of 60% shares of the company.
A release issued in Port Harcourt and signed by the Administrative Secretary of 4 Power Consortium Limited, Mrs. Precious Nkem Wokocha, stated that the ceremony would hold at the head office complex of the PHEDC in Port Harcourt, today.
According to the statement, “ PHED is one of the eleven distribution companies (DISCOs) that were originally ‘unbundled’ from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN)”. “The new company’s functions will continue to be distribution and marketing of electricity in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River and Rivers States in Nigeria’s South- South region”.
“As a private company, we shall breathe new life into PHEDC’s programme of investment and innovation, and this will enable us to become the most efficient and sustainable utility company in Nigeria. That means our customers can expect an increasing reliable power supply and also a far better service,” it added..
Managing Director of Income Electric Limited, one of the partners in the consortium, Mr Matthew Edevbie reiterated the company’s commitment to stimulating economic growth and improving electricity and service delivery in the region. He stated that, the new PHED “will foster a high performing culture that motivates employees to create value and make a difference in the lives of customers and in the communities they live and work.”
He disclosed that the new company’s core functions would continue to be distribution and marketing of electricity in Rivers,Akwa Ibom,Bayelsa and Cross River States in Nigeria’s South-South region.
Also, the Chairman of the new core investors in the project, Sir Augustine Nwokacha said, “as a private company, it will breathe new life into PHED’s programme of investment and innovation, and this will enable us to become the most efficient and sustainable utility company in Nigeria,adding that customers can expect an increasingly reliable power supply and far better services” .
Thousands of disengaged workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, have threatened a showdown with the Federal Government, following its plans to physically hand over the defunct company to new investors today. The reason for the showdown, according to some of the PHCN workers who spoke with our correspondents, is the delay in payment of severance benefits of about 35% of the workforce.
In some of the PHCN offices visited by our correspondent across the state yesterday, activities were paralysed while the workers were seen discussing their fate.
Policemen were deployed to some of the PHCN offices to forestall break down of law and order. Policemen were seen at Badia and Marina area offices of the PHCN.
Confirming the likelihood of showdown, PHCN Senior Manager, Public Affairs Ijora district, Ayiwe Peter said that they were not against the hand over, but that they wanted want the government to pay the workers before it handed over. Peter said should the government go ahead to hand over without paying the workers, the union will pull their members out and there would be total black out.
He advised Nigerians to prepare for alternative source of electricity so that they would not be caught up in darkness. Contrary to Bureau of Public Enterprise’s statement that at least 84 per cent of the workers had been paid off, while others would be paid between Wednesday and Thursday, the workers said banks had refused to honour the government’s directive to pay them.
They threatened that if their entitlements were not paid by the end of October, the entire workforce of PHCN in all the 36 states would embark on indefinite strike. They therefore appealed to government to ensure that all the agreements it signed with the workers were met to avert the strike.
“If not, how will they ask us to go and they will not pay us? This is sheer man’s inhumanity to man,” he said. The successor companies expected to be handed over to the new investors include Abuja Distribution Company (owned by KANN Consortium Utility), Benin Distribution Company (Vigeo Power Consortium), Eko Distribution Company (West Power & Gas), Enugu Distribution Company (Interstate Electrics Ltd) and Ibadan Distribution Company (Integrated Energy Distribution & Marketing Limited).
Others are: Ikeja Distribution Company (NEDC/KEPCO Consortium), Jos Distribution Company (Aura Energy Limited), Kano Distribution Company (Sahelian Power SPV Limited), Port Harcourt Distribution Company (4Power Consortium) and Yola Distribution Company (Integrated Energy Distribution & Marketing Limited).
The power generation companies expected to be handed over are Shiroro (owned by North-South Power Company), Kainji (Mainstream Energy Solutions Ltd), Geregu (Amperion Power Distribution) and Ughelli (Transcorp Ughelli Power Plc). Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Godknows Igali, said last Wednesday that the Federal Government had disbursed N294.51 billion to the disengaged PHCN workers.
Igali made the disclosure to State House correspondents after a special preparatory meeting to strategise on the November 1 physical handover of PHCN successor companies to private investors.
The meeting was chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo at the Presidential Villa.
Specifically, Igali said that N214.22 billion was paid as severance benefits directly to the beneficiaries’ personal accounts, while N80.29 billion was paid as gratuity to beneficiaries’ pension fund administrators. He said that out of the 47,913 PHCN members of staff who went through the severance process, 40.093 had been fully paid, leaving out 7,820.
From the 7,820 staff, Igali said that 605 were validated last Tuesday and would be paid before the end of the week. Igali said that the remaining beneficiaries yet to be validated for payment had one issue or the other in their data capturing and electronic payment processes. “Some members in Enugu Distribution Company, about 1,478 have their biometric capture corrupted by virus and a new consultant has been moved to Enugu to recapture them.
“Those workers would not be accommodated.
“Additional 929 other workers from all over the country also had their biometric data corrupted. “This is a usual thing that happens when you are dealing with such large numbers and we are bringing them to Abuja at the expense of government for their biometric data to be recaptured so that they can be paid their entitlement immediately.
“There were also duplications of various natures, names were duplicated and accounts were duplicated. “For example, there are cases where people have three names and while filling, they put only two names,” he said. Igali said there were cases of about 2,500 staff that were very bad, but still being handled by the committee.
The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Mr Benjamin Dikki, said that with the full take-over of the power plants by the private sector, electricity situation would gradually improve.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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