FG blacklists power contractor for abandoning project

The Federal Government has blacklisted a contractor who is alleged to have abandoned an electricity project in Ebonyi State.

This is even as the Federal Executive Council (FEC) ratified the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (NIIMP), stating that it will need a total of $3.05 trillion (N485 trillion) over 30 years.

President Goodluck Jonathan had in July 2012 approved that the National Planning Commission coordinate the preparation of the NIIMP for the country.

The plan which will be implemented over a period of 30 years from 2014 to 2043 will be implemented in three phases. The first five years phase between now and 2018 will require $166.1 billion for implementation.

The plan will, among others things, address the lack of linkages in the infrastructure sector. It focuses on core infrastructure, including energy (power and oil and gas), transport (roads, rail, ports and airports), housing, water and Information and Communication Technology.

Other infrastructure classes include agriculture, mining, social infrastructure, vital registration and security.

Meanwhile, the contracting firm whose name was given as Messrs Techno Electric and Engineering Company had on December 1, 2010 collected a 15 percent mobilisation fee from the Federal Government and later abandoned the project.

Briefing journalists after the weekly FEC meeting which was chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan, the minister of state for power, Mohammed Wakil alongside the ministers of health, Onyebuchi Chukwu; National Planning, Abubakar Sulaiman, and the transport, Idris Umar, said government has also blacklisted the directors of the company and as such they cannot start up any other company in the country.
He said government has re-awarded the contract for the engineering design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of 2X60MVA, 132/33KV at Amasiri and 2X132KV Line Bays Extension at Abakaliki for the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
Council approved the re-awarding of the contract in favour of Messrs North China Power Engineering Limited and NCEP (Nig) Limited in the sum of $5,835,368.47 payable at the prevailing exchange rate at the time of payment plus N505,788,083.58 inclusive of N67,211,298.58 for five percent contingency with a completion period of 24 months.
The project is designed to boost power supply to Ebonyi State and parts of Cross River and enhance the socio-economic development of the state.