Maku Tasks Contractor On Power Project

The Minister of
Information, Mr Labaran Maku, has charged the contractor handling the 338
megawatts Egbema Power Station in Imo, to expedite work on the project.

Maku
said when he led the National Good Governance team on an inspection visit to
ascertain the progress of work at the plant, that government and Nigerians were
worried at the slow pace of work at some of the plants across the country.

The
minister, therefore, urged all contractors handling power projects to complete
them on schedule.

“The
president has given us an order to deliver and that is what all of us in the
cabinet are working to achieve.

“What
we want is to see that this year, we deliver all power projects executed by
government. Please there should be no change of dates,’’ he said.

The
project manager, Mr Basil Ozoh, attributed the delay in the completion of the
project to the flood that was experienced in the area in 2012.

He
said the entire site was submerged by water, which prevented workers from
gaining access to the site and the contractor from bringing in equipment.

Ozoh
said that the contractor regained the site last December and had been working
on delivering the project in good time.

He
told the team that the project was at 90 per cent completion and would be ready
for use as soon as the gas connection lines to the plants were fully completed.

Ozoh
said that all the three gas turbines and the giant transformers had been
installed at the plant.

The
plant is designed to generate 338 megawatts of electricity with each of the
turbines generating 112.5 megawatts.

In
a related development, the Imo Government has denied knowledge of the existence
of a skills acquisition centre project located in Abaezi community of the
state.

The
centre, which is at an advanced stage of completion, is being funded by the
Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, under the amnesty programme for youths in the
oil producing areas.

The
Imo Deputy Governor, Mr Jude Agbaso, made the claim when members of the team
paid an unscheduled visit to the site of the project.

He
said that the state was not informed about the citing of the project in the
area.

Agbaso
called for synergy among the different tiers government to avoid duplication of
efforts and resources.

In
his remarks, Maku said relevant agencies in the state should be aware of the
existence of the project and its progress.

He
said that the representative of the state in the Niger Delta Development
Commission should have informed the State Government about the project.

He
dismissed claims that the Federal Government did not inform the government of
Imo about the project.