Barth Nnaji: New Team to Vindicate or Vilify his roles

The National Council on Privatization(NCP) has raised a  team to ascertain whether the evaluation of technical bids for Afam Power Station and  Enugu Distribution Company was corrupted or not.

It was not clear last night when the verification will take place.

The exercise,it was gathered, may determine the innocence of  the former Minister.

A company,Geometric Power,in which he has interest was involved in the bids for the privatisation of Afam Generation Company and Enugu Distribution Company.

Geometric Power is said to have a minority stake in the Eastern Electric Nigeria Limited which submitted technical and financial bids for Enugu Distribution Company on July 31.

Besides,one of the consortia bidding for Afam Power Plant, O and M Solutions of Pakistan, was at a time Geometric Power’s contractor.

Prof Nnaji has said, in his own defence, that he had divorced  himself from Geometric to serve the nation.

About 51 investors are bidding for 11 distribution companies, including the Enugu Distribution Company.

Sources said last night that  the Federal Government has rejected request to cancel the bids.

The  source said : “We are not cancelling the bids which we started the process as far back as December 2010. The same companies are still bidding for these plants and distribution companies.

“A new team will now do a re-evaluation of the report of the seven-man panel to determine whether the process was compromised or not.

“I cannot tell you the names of those in the new committee and when they will start the re-evaluation of the technical bids.

“The new re-evaluation team will vindicate or vilify the roles allegedly played by Nnaji in the technical bids. The world will know whether Nnaji’s company was really favoured in any manner or not.

“Besides Nnaji, members of the seven-man panel which conducted the technical bids are interested in the re-evaluation to save their hard-earned integrity. Some of these foreigners are just feeling bad.”

The source gave an insight into the technical bids that cost Nnaji his job,saying: “A seven-man team conducted the technical bids in the presence of officials of the EFCC, ICPC and State Security Service (SSS). Those who did the exercise were drawn from the Ministry of Water Resources (one), Ministry of Power (one), Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Transaction Advisers of BPE,USAID, CPCS of Canada and NIFF.

“Out of the seven members, three are foreigners. Those who did the technical bid were even camped in hotels alongside representatives of security agencies to avoid being influenced.

“It is unthinkable for anyone to assume that Nnaji who had only a representative from the Ministry of Power would influence six others, including foreigners.

“What people do not know is that O and M Solutions, which has relationship with Geometric Power, owns less than 20 per cent in the consortia bidding for  Afam Power Station. People were no longer talking about other firms with 80 per cent.

“It is unfortunate that some forces were just out to rubbish the process or scuttle the Power Sector Reform by getting at Nnaji. They made the ex-Minister the sacrificial lamb.

“But the NCP was not circumspect  enough to  realise that some vested interests were desperate to infiltrate the system and scuttle the process.”

The source said that after the re-evaluation, the BPE will go ahead with the privatisation timelines.

The BPE had,  in a statement, released the timetable as follows: “The transaction timeline reveals that the evaluation of the technical bids will take place between August 14 and 28, 2012. The National Council on Privatization (NCP) will approve the results of the technical evaluation by September 11, 2012.

“The deadline for the short listed bidders for generation companies to submit their letters of credit is September 18, 2012 while October 2, 2012 is the deadline for short listed bidders for distribution companies.

“Consequently, NCP’s approval will pave the  way for the opening of financial bids of the short listed investors.

“The BPE will, on September 25, 2012, open the financial bids of prospective investors for the generating companies while October 10, 2012 is the date for the opening of the financial bids for the distribution companies.

“The announcement of the preferred bidders for the generating companies is October 9, 2012 while October 23, 2012 is the date for the announcement of the preferred bidders for the distribution companies.”

It was gathered last night that  Enugu North is seeking  the vacant ministerial  slot meant for the state.

It was learnt that a stakeholders’ session might be convened as soon as Governor Sullivan Chime returns from vacation abroad.

A reliable source said:  “The people of Enugu North feel that it is their turn to produce the next Minister from the state.

“In the past few years, Enugu West  produced the governor and ex-Minister of Aviation, Fidelia Njeze, who is now an Ambassador.

“Barth Nnaji who just resigned as Minister of Power is from Enugu East. So, fairness demands that the slot should be for Enugu North.

“Apart from producing a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, it has been a while since Enugu North produced a Minister.”

Another source however said: “We are awaiting the arrival of our leader, Governor Sullivan Chime, who will convene a session of stakeholders that will agree on which Senatorial district will produce the next Minister from Enugu State .”