OGHARA— CONTROVERSY between the Delta State government and the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) over the short-changing of Sapele community, which hosts the Thermal Power Plant that produces 30 per cent of the Authority’s total generating capacity, in a recent system voltage change over from 6.6 KV to 11 KV continued yesterday, as the State Executive Council (SEC), which deliberated on the matter, slammed NEPA for allegedly slacking in its statutory responsibility of providing adequate power supply to the people.
At the meeting held in Oghara, country home of Governor James Ibori, the state government denied withholding the transformers and other accessories promised the Authority for a system change over in Sapele, maintaining that it was NEPA that erected a stumbling block.
NEPA Chief Operating Officer (COO), Benin Distribution Zone, Engr. Mary Akiode, had told Vanguard in an earlier interview that some officials of the state government practically frustrated the Authority on the project with their non-release of the transformers and other things promised NEPA for the system change-over, a development that made it to embark on the project alone.
Speaking to newsmen at Oghara at the end of the State Executive Council meeting, Commissioner for Information, Mr. Magnus Onyibe, said: “Essentially, the Executive Council looked at the report in Vanguard of yesterday (September 29) with regards to some statement made by the Chief Operating Officer of NEPA, Benin Distribution Zone, Engr. Mary Akiode. It has to do with the issue of supply of transformers by the Delta State government to NEPA.
“It should be put on record first of all that the Delta State government is not under any obligation to supply transformers to NEPA. It is NEPA’s duty, statutory responsibility to provide electricity and transformers but because the Delta State government is interested in the well-being of its people, it decided to support NEPA by providing certain things that will enable them provide better services for the comfort of our people.
“Now, having done that, they went ahead to implement some of the promises that they made based on the things that were available. Unfortunately, those things are still on-going and it is unfortunate that the COO made the statement that she made.”
At this stage, the onus of further explanation on the issue was shifted to the Commissioner for Power and Energy, Mr. Emmanuel Ighomena. According to him,“the issue of Sapele as it pertains to the conversion process from the 6.6 KV to 11 KV arrangement is like this. The state government decided to wade into the issue of power supply in Sapele and to assist NEPA in the provision of some of the equipment required for the conversion. Sapele is presently on the 6.6 KV and every other part of this state and all over the world, the arrangement that is in use is 11 KV. That arrangement has been concluded with the state government donating to NEPA 102 numbers of distribution transformers. Of the 102 No.(number) transformers, 500 KVA of those transformers are to be No. 52, that is out of the 102 numbers, 52 numbers are to be of 500 KVA capacity, 500KVA by 11KV. The other 50 are to be of 300 KVA.
“Now, we have placed orders for the 500 KVA capacity because as the time we gave out the order, we could not get those ones that meet the specification up to No. 50 and an order had been placed but we already have the 300 KVA capacity of which they can start with. We have also written to NEPA Chief Operating Officer in Benin City that the Delta State government is ready to deliver those transformers.
“I think in their reply, they requested that we transfer those transformers to Benin City and of course we said that it was not possible for the Delta State government to do a presentation in Benin City, which is another state. That it is better for the Delta State government to present the things to NEPA in its state, that means that we want the handing over or presentation ceremony in Delta State, more interestingly to be in Sapele, where the project is to be done but they insisted that the transformers be taken to Benin City in their warehouse.
“And we had a meeting recently where we said we can now hand over these transformers in Asaba but they requested that after the hand over, we still have to carry them to Benin City. Our problem is that if the project has to be in Sapele, we need to carry these transformers to Sapele and we hand them over and then, the project commences immediately. Before they will finish with No. 50 of the 300KVA capacity, the other 52 would have arrived but even beyond this level, the state government has injected an additional No. 20 transformers that are in fact in Sapele now, awaiting the system change over. So, I want to make it clear that:
•The responsibility of conversion of the system in Sapele is that of NEPA, not the state government. Sapele people are part of Delta State and the government does not want them to suffer for so long and decided to wade into the problem to assist NEPA. It is an assistance. Of course, NEPA cannot blame the state government for not coming fast enough to assist them because as soon as these transformers are handed over to NEPA, the transformers are taken by NEPA and it becomes a property managed by NEPA. Revenue from those transformers will not be paid to the state government.
“We are saying that we want to hand over these transformers to NEPA but it has to be in Sapele or elsewhere in Delta State but not in Edo State.”
