Some power contractors are weaklings – FG

The Federal Government on Saturday warned that it would not take it lightly with any contractor who failed to meet the December 2013 target for transmission projects under the ongoing National Integrated Power Projects in the country.
Vice-President Namadi Sambo handed down the warning while presiding over a project management meeting of NIPP at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
While frowning at the slow pace of work on some of the transmission projects, Sambo commended the level of work done by contractors handling the generation projects of the NIPP.
He said, “For those of you that are here today, definitely we are having some weaklings, and you see, these contracts have been going on for ages and for every journey,  the journey starts and that journey obviously must have an end.
“2013 is the end of the year. It is the end year for all NIPP projects. Nigerians must receive the power that we are able to generate and that is why you have been given this assignment.
“I know we have all prepared our plans to meet this target, but our analysis has shown a lot of weaknesses in most of you and that is why today, we will discuss these programmes and come to a final understanding and agreement with all of you in ensuring that by December 2013, we have 100 per cent completion of all our transmission projects in the Niger Delta Power Holding Company.”
Sambo said as at December 2012 about 4,517MW of power was injected into the national grid.
Meanwhile the Federal Government will officially handover the Power Holding Company of Nigeria’s generation and distribution companies to core investors in the second quarter of 2013.
A top official of the Bureau of Public Enterprises told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Saturday on condition of anonymity.
The source said, “I don’t think we can handover PHCN to successor companies now, due to the ongoing bidding process of some of the power generation and distribution companies. But I am sure that by second quarter of this year, government will officially handover PHCN to the core investors.”
The official attributed the slow pace of the bidding process of some of the power stations in the country to the cumbersome privatisation process.
He said the distribution company in Kaduna State and the generation company in Afam, Rivers State, were exempted from the exercise because no preferred bidder had emerged for the firms.
He added that an agreement had been executed by the government and labour which would guaranteed the cooperation of workers in the handover process.
The source said government was working to raise the finance to pay staff entitlements, adding that BPE was collaborating with the ministry of lands and housing to resolve land and property issue.