The Moment (London)
Tony Otaru
21 December 2011
THE Federal Government has vowed to bye-pass any community whose interference would slow down the pace of electrification programme across the country.
Power Minister, Professor Bart Nnaji stated this while reviewing the pace and progress of activities in the sector with the Chief Executives of the Generating Companies of Nigeria (GENCOS) in Abuja recently.
GENCOS are Companies that generate the electricity, which the zonal Distribution Companies (DISCOS) distribute to consumers.
In response to the Minister’s quest for station-by-station situation reports, most of the CEOs observed that one of their pressing challenges was community interference on site with some of the communities sacking contracting firms and their workers thereby slowing down the power sector transformational train.
Nnaji hinted that it was in order to meet the timeline set for the conclusion of the power sector reforms that the Government adequately compensate communities that their land were affected by the project.
But he regretted that even after compensations had been made, some dissident groups turned back to ask for more and obstruct progress of work.
“Government does not work that way” Nnaji directed that such communities should henceforth be bye-passed in the electrification programme if they did not put a stop to their intransigence.
He drew the attention of such communities to the benefits they would derive in allowing the power projects to go on smoothly, pointing out that apart from allocation of transformers, contracting firms will offer jobs to some of their sons and daughters.
The Minister directed the CEOs to pay the 50 per cent wage increase to their staff if the staff biometric data capturing had been successfully concluded.
He encouraged the CEOs to remain dutiful and treat as sabotage staff who forward wrong data to the National Control Centre (NCC) against what is on ground.
He also directed that all reports generated by the zones should henceforth be counter signed by the CEOs.
Prof. Nnaji said the attention of government had been drawn to some Business Managers who manipulated lists of staff on emolument and other entitlements and backdates their records in order to milk the system.
For these set of people, the minister said the CEOs would be held responsible for lapses leading to such losses by the government.
Each of the CEOs had briefed the Minister on their progress expectations and challenges which boiled down to lack of adequate funds to replace aged and obsolete components.
The CEO of Kainji, Engineer Yinka Akinwumi said the low water level of Kainji did not only hamper maximum generation by the turbines, but also automatically disabled the Jebba hydro power station.
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