Controversy Trails IPP Project

Attah misled Ex-President Obasanjo, IPP was 65% completed—IPP Boss

This is blackmail; we did over 90% of work in IPP - Attah

 By our Reporter

The chairman of the Ibom Power Company Board, Obong Nsima Ekere has alleged that the immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom State, Arc. (Obong) Victor Attah deceived the former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to commission what he termed as an uncompleted Ibom Power Plant sited at Ikot Abasi, the Aluminum city of Akwa Ibom State. He said this with newsmen in Ikot Abasi, the IPP site soon after the switching on of light by the President and Commander in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan in the penultimate week. Obong Ekere who also is the chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Investment and Promotion Council (AKIPOC), and former governorship aspirant in the state wondered why political office holders are not responsible and responsive. “As at the time this Government took over in May 2007, the report from the contractor himself (Group 5) said that this project by their own assessment is 65% completed and that is why we were very distressed when recently there were a lot of blackmail stories in the media that this projected was completed and commissioned by the immediate past administration. That was very unfortunate it was deliberate misrepresentation and I think those of us in Government should be responsive and responsible enough, we should watch the things we do when we are in offices so that when we vacate, generations yet unborn can judge us by the things we do. It is most unfortunate if we mislead the President of a country like today we saw the President that came here, how you would feel if we misled him, telling him that this project was ready when in the actual sense was not ready. We heard that in the twilight of the last administration that former President Obasanjo came to “Commission” the project we have the pictures and video clips of the “commissioning” including the comments of the former President himself who said that as far as he was concerned, that the visit was an executive inspection of the plant”, he explained. On the state of the IPP, Obong Ekere stressed that the 65% work that was said to have been done was the contractor’s perspective need that of AKIPOC or the state government. “As at May, 2007 when the government of Chief Godswill Akpabio took over the project was 65% completed but over 80% of the money had been spent on the project but in actual physical construction on the site was 65% completion and when we say the project was 65% completed we are not talking as IPP board, AKIPOC or as a State Government, this is based on the monthly performance report that is given by the contractor (Group 5) because the state government signed an EPC (Engineering procurement and construction) contract with them, that means they provide the engineering service consultancy and everything. They do the procurement; they buy everything and actually do the construction. For the avoidance of doubt, let me make it abundantly clear that Ibom power was never completed before Chief Godswill Akpabio took over as Governor of Akwa Ibom State. The project was at 65% though over 80% of money was paid over to the contractor (paid and used up for the project) when you look of the cost of the project over 80% was incurred in the last administration but yet the work on ground was only 65% done and was the contractors’ perspective not our own assessment of course the transmission lines were not done, our major challenge as the generation company was to generate as we have done but you cannot take it out to the National grid because those PHCN (Power Holding Company of Nigeria) transmission lines you see on roads do not have the capacity to take all that power we generate. Between here and Eket we have no problem because we can take all the power that we generate even the second phase, but transmission lines from Eket to other substations of PHCN is the problem. That is where the problem is you can’t take it the old PHCN transmission line else it will blow off all the equipment”. In his reaction, an impeccable source very close to the Ex-governor Attah who spoke on anonymous ground termed it as unfortunate the way and manner the chairman of the IPP Board, Obong Nsima Ekere described the entire scenario. The source linked that when the former President, Chief Obasanjo came for the commissioning of the IPP, all the three turbines were installed which was followed by the commissioning checks which were done by experts. Century Newsfront also gathered from our source that before the commissioning of the Ibom Power Plant and the exit of the last administration led by Obong Victor Attah, about one hundred and forty eight towers out of about one hundred and fifty two were erected from Ikot Abasi to Eket substation while the erection process began. Our source added that the government of Obong Victor Attah purchased all the cables and they (cables) were in transit and that the present government only did the stringing and completed the remaining towers. “The cables were bought and paid for by the Attah’s government but they were on transit and these cables were fully certified by technical team of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). What was left undone was the actual stringing because those cables did not yet arrive what this government did was to get those cables strung and complete the remaining four towers”. The source explained. Another source very close to the IPP who requested that his name should not be put on print regretted that IPP which has now appears to be controversial said, “We have lied to ourselves”. The source continued, “as long as I am concerned, the work that we did as at 2007 was not less than 90 per cent. For the avoidance of doubt, the contractors, Group 5 are right now in Aba, Abia State, they are the company constructing the Geometric Power Plant and you can confirm this from them”. Efforts by Century Newsfront to meet management of Group 5 prove abortive.

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