By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has exposed how contractors in the power sector are contributing substantially to the frequent collapse of national grids in the country.
The anti-graft agency described the contractors as “corrupt” adding that they sacrificed efficient service delivery and competence on the altar of pecuniary gain.
The Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, disclosed this at the commission’s headquarters, Abuja, on Tuesday when members of the House Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes visited him.
Speaking during the visit, the EFCC boss revealed that investigations carried out by the agency showed that contractors in the power sector, who were awarded projects to supply electrical equipment, often opted for substandard materials.
Olukoyede stressed that there should be a system of reward and punishment adding that corrupt contractors who take delight in doing shoddy jobs for government should be made to face the full wrath of the law.
He said, “As I am talking to you now, we are grappling with electricity. If you see some of the investigations we are carrying out within the power sector, you will shed tears.
“People who were awarded contracts to supply electricity equipment, instead of using what they call 9.0 guage, they will go and buy 5.0. Every time you see the thing tripping off, the thing gets burnt, and all of that, it falters and it collapses. It’s part of our problems.”
Speaking further, he also said the commission discovered that in the last 20 years, capital project implementation and execution in the country were not up to 20 percent.
Olukoyede said, “We discovered that in the last 15 to 20 years, we have not done up to 20% of our capital project implementation and execution. And if we don’t do that, how do you want to have infrastructural development?
“How do you want to grow as a nation? So, our mandate this year is to work with that directorate and with the National Assembly to see if we can meet up to 50% of our execution of our capital project for the year
“If we do 50%, we will be fine as a nation. Lack of implementation of this capital project, capital budget, is one of our major problems in Nigeria. And if we are able to tackle that effectively, we will make progress as a nation.
“So, we are doing everything to see how we can prevent that with your support.”
The national grid has recorded 10 collapses this year, plunging the entire country into darkness with each disappointing development
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has blamed the trend on obsolete power infrastructure proferring decentralization of the power sector as solution.
