NASS Lists Bane Of Power Sector

The National Assembly joint Committee on Power, says that lack of supervision in the power sector is responsible for the poor performance of the sector especially with regards to the National Independent Power Projects (NIPPs).

Members of the committee made the assertion, yesterday in Abuja at an interactive session with the Minister of Power, Management of the NIPP and the contractor handling the Ikot Ekpene sub-station project.

The sub-station located in Akwa Ibom, worths over 25 million Euro, and awarded since February 2006, is yet to be completed.

Mrs Maryam Akanmode, the Managing Director of Cartlark Int. Ltd, the company handling the project, told the committee that the company had so far received 497 million Euro for the project.

Akanmode said the contract was for Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) and so far, it had been completed at 97, 92 and 60 per cent respectively.

She also complained of having challenges with the project with regards to the lack of payment of compensation to the host community in Abia.

The Managing Director of the NIPP, Mr James Olotu, said he had not visited the site of the project since it was awarded in 2006.

Sen. Danjuma Goje wondered why in spite of the 5.3 billion dollars lodged in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for NIPP projects, the contractor had not received sufficient payment for the job.

Chairman of the Senate Committee, Sen. Phillip Aduda (PDP-FCT), said there had been several complaints that the NIPP management was not visiting its project sites.

“The power sector is grossly under supervised. Rather than show interest in the ongoing projects you are busy doing other things.’’

A member of the Committee, Sen. Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman (PDP-Kogi), who was apparently infuriated by Olotu’s comment, noted that there was a total lack of supervision, adding that some contractors were taking advantage of the situation.

“Supervision is totally absent. We cannot sit here and toil with our aspirations. We promised Nigerians that by the end of this year, we would have light and we have to deliver on that.’’

Chairman, House Committee on Power, Mr Patrick Ikhariale (PDP-Edo), said henceforth, there must be at least one report on each NIPP project monthly, to allow for easy assessment of progress made.

The Committee directed the NIPP MD to pay the contractor all the outstanding funds that had been certified.