Dino Melaye,
chairman of Nigeria’s senate committee on the Federal Capital Territory
(FCT) and founder of Anti-Corruption Network, has asked the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to commence investigation of
Manitoba Hydro International Nigeria Limited, over alleged abuse of
Public Procurement Act and diversion of funds amounting to N13.8
billion.
While handing over the letter of
petition to the director of public affairs of the anti=graft agency,
Osita Nwaja, at its Headquarters on Friday in Abuja, Melaye stressed
that it was the desire of the anti-corruption group to ensure that
economic and financial crimes are duly investigated and prosecuted.
Senator Melaye said the company was
awarded a management contract to oversee the Transmission Company of
Nigeria (TCN) assest and liabilities after the privatisation and
unbundling of Power Holding Company of Nigeria to Generating Companies
(GENCOS) and distribution Companies (DISCOS) by Bureau of Public
Enterprises (BPE) in March, 2012 for a term of three years.
Melaye revealed that the cost of the
contract was first awarded for $30 million and was subsequently renewed
for one more year at the cost of $5.2 million, adding that TCN has over
8000km of 330kv line and 12000km of 12kv connecting many substations
within Nigeria.
Against this background, he disclosed
that investigations conducted uncovered several economic and financial
crimes committed by Manitoba and also outright disregard of best
practices in TCN.
Melaye stated: “In 2015, the company fraudulently diverted funds transferred to the tensions for the 2015 trace maintenance.
“The company was involved in splitting
of contract to avoid TCN Tenders Board and Ministerial Tenders Board as
observed in the case of contract of repairs of telecommunications
equipment and power stations: 340kv substations (S1 and S2) which
amounts to N247,061,796 and N248,859,350 respectively.
“The awarded of contract verbatim at the
cost of 893,000,000 for repair of telecommunications equipment and
remote terminal units associated with PHCN (legacy) power stations and
TCN 330kv. Though the contract sum was fully paid but there is no
evidence that the contract was executed,” Melaye said.
The senator emphasised that the failure
of the company to ensure probity, accountability and transparency in
the management of TCN, as well as its failure to audit TCN’s account
since assumption was in contravention of the terms of contract signed
between the company and BPE.
This, he noted, has no doubt led to irregularities in the Market Operations Sector.
According to him, the management
contract requires the company to expand the TCN’s wheeling capacity to
6000 megawatts which was never realised.
Melaye said that TCN’s performance
under the management of the company has fallen so low that the company
inherited 4000 megawatts and has now dropped to 1500 presently.
He therefore called on the anti-graft agency to launch am investigation into the activities of the company, while urging the federal government to prohibit the company due to several contraventions of the BPE Act 2007.
He therefore called on the anti-graft agency to launch am investigation into the activities of the company, while urging the federal government to prohibit the company due to several contraventions of the BPE Act 2007.
When contacted, spokesman of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Wilson Uwujaren,
said as an anti-graft, they were duty-bound to investigate petitions
sent to it.
He did not specifically state if the
petition submitted by Senator Melaye will be given speedy investigation.
“We receive petitions from time to time and we investigate,” he said.
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