Varied compensation claims by communities, stealing of key materials of
transmission towers and aluminum conductors, outright hacking of fully
mounted power grid towers and brazen encroachment on the electricity
transmission line right-of-way (ROW) by some Federal Government agencies
have combined to stall the take-off of the Niger Delta Power Holding
Company’s (NDPHC’s) Enugu – Ikot Ekpene double 330KV National
Independent Power Project (NIPP) transmission line, since 2009 – 2010.
The project is a multi-billion naira Eastern power transmission loop
covering about 180 km from Enugu through Okigwe, Umuahia and Ikot
Ekpene, meant to evacuate huge electricity generated from the Alaoji
(Aba, Abia State), Afam (Port Harcourt, Rivers State) and Calabar (Cross
River State) integrated power (NIPP) stations, before joining similar
four circuit lines that come from Makurdi (Benue State).
A guided tour of the project routes through the communities that straddle the transmission lines, which is South East/ South-South’s key power transmission project, indicated that the entire stretch of 180 km major electricity loop, which runs from New Haven in Enugu Town, Enugu State, down to Ikot Ekpene in Akwa Ibom State, is strewn with tens of built obstructions, vandalisation of transmission equipment, encroachment on the ROW and multiple litigation by individuals over compensation claims; thereby stalling the project, which is aimed at bridging the power gap for sustained economic growth of the region, comprising 11 states.
At Nenwe in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State, community folks have put up at least 46 block structures along the transmission lines ROW, a supposedly virgin area; but with which they are claiming millions of naira in compensation. This is even after NDPHC said it had compensated the entire communities for all their economic trees, crops and farmlands that were taken up by the 2 x 330 KVA transmission lines.
Albert Okorogu, the executive director in charge of Networks at the NDPHC told a select group of journalists on tour of the project that all compensation had been paid after negotiations with the communities that straddle the transmission routes; but doubted the new claims by some individuals within the host communities.
This was confirmed by Godwin Onwe, a native of Obiofu, Amaoji in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State. He said the two transmission lines running from the boundary between Nenwe, Ogbaku and Mgboo in Aninri have been compensated. Although he said some people claimed they didn’t get any compensation.
Okorogu said the NDPHC has faced the most challenges in realising the high ticket project for upwards of five years; which he said had badly affected power evacuation from the three generation companies (Gencos) in the region.
“Without the completion of major transmission lines such as the Enugu – Ikot Ekpene 330 KVA project, it would be prettily impossible to evacuate the electricity being generated by the NIPPs,” stated Okorogu.
As if the built obstructions were not enough, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) had constructed a N5 billion massive Grain Silo just under the transmission lines’ ROW at Okigwe, Imo State.
Findings by BusinessDay revealed that the FMARD claim they had acquired the area before the clearing of forests and mounting of the 2 x 330 KVA transmission towers by the NDPHC.
Also, at Ubakala, Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, unknown robbers were said to have on 17 May, 2015, invaded the construction site of Energo Nigeria Limited, the contractor handling lot 3 of the 330 KVA transmission lines project, and carted away 10 drums of aluminum conductors.
According to Rastko Pribic, the chief engineer of Energo Nigeria, the alleged cable robbers, who came about 10.00am on the fateful day (a Sunday), tied up the security man with iron wires in-between two containers. This was immediately after the Policemen providing overnight security had left at about 8.00 am.
Okorogu, the NDPHC executive director Networks wondered the temerity of the alleged robbers, coming in full daylight and loaded away 10 drums of aluminum conductors, where each drum weighs four tons.
Meanwhile, a major vandalisation of the Enugu – Ikot Ekpene 330 KVA transmission lines was the massive hacking down of a fully mounted power tower at Oronta village in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State.
The tower was to have carried the transmission lines that would finally loop the Ikot Ekpene bound towers.
Ikoro Onyebuchi Michael, secretary of the Oronta Development Union said the community has dissociated itself from the pepertrators of the heinous incident. He said the event happened on a rainy night.
He also said the community needs adequate compensation from the NDPHC, like access roads to their newly allocated development sites. “We agitate for full compensation to our bushes, forests and access roads,” he said.
Okorogu lamented the delays in realising the power project, saying: “Imagine that we’ve been on this 2 x 330 KVA project since 2009/ 2010, facing some of the most difficult challenges like encroachment on the transmission lines right-of-way by a Federal agency, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture; even after we have paid compensation on the areas within and around the ROW.
“We’re letting the general public to know the challenges we’ve been facing in completing the power projects,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Claudius Ogunrinde, the General Manager in charge of Transmission at the NDPHC, said vandalisation of transmission materials, apart from litigation, has constituted the major challenge that have bedeviled the Enugu – Ikot Ekpene 330 KVA transmission lines project.
The result of all this, is inability of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company to evacuate huge electricity domicilled in the Eastern region, generated from Enugu, Alaoji, Afam and Calabar power generating stations.
A guided tour of the project routes through the communities that straddle the transmission lines, which is South East/ South-South’s key power transmission project, indicated that the entire stretch of 180 km major electricity loop, which runs from New Haven in Enugu Town, Enugu State, down to Ikot Ekpene in Akwa Ibom State, is strewn with tens of built obstructions, vandalisation of transmission equipment, encroachment on the ROW and multiple litigation by individuals over compensation claims; thereby stalling the project, which is aimed at bridging the power gap for sustained economic growth of the region, comprising 11 states.
At Nenwe in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State, community folks have put up at least 46 block structures along the transmission lines ROW, a supposedly virgin area; but with which they are claiming millions of naira in compensation. This is even after NDPHC said it had compensated the entire communities for all their economic trees, crops and farmlands that were taken up by the 2 x 330 KVA transmission lines.
Albert Okorogu, the executive director in charge of Networks at the NDPHC told a select group of journalists on tour of the project that all compensation had been paid after negotiations with the communities that straddle the transmission routes; but doubted the new claims by some individuals within the host communities.
This was confirmed by Godwin Onwe, a native of Obiofu, Amaoji in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State. He said the two transmission lines running from the boundary between Nenwe, Ogbaku and Mgboo in Aninri have been compensated. Although he said some people claimed they didn’t get any compensation.
Okorogu said the NDPHC has faced the most challenges in realising the high ticket project for upwards of five years; which he said had badly affected power evacuation from the three generation companies (Gencos) in the region.
“Without the completion of major transmission lines such as the Enugu – Ikot Ekpene 330 KVA project, it would be prettily impossible to evacuate the electricity being generated by the NIPPs,” stated Okorogu.
As if the built obstructions were not enough, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) had constructed a N5 billion massive Grain Silo just under the transmission lines’ ROW at Okigwe, Imo State.
Findings by BusinessDay revealed that the FMARD claim they had acquired the area before the clearing of forests and mounting of the 2 x 330 KVA transmission towers by the NDPHC.
Also, at Ubakala, Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, unknown robbers were said to have on 17 May, 2015, invaded the construction site of Energo Nigeria Limited, the contractor handling lot 3 of the 330 KVA transmission lines project, and carted away 10 drums of aluminum conductors.
According to Rastko Pribic, the chief engineer of Energo Nigeria, the alleged cable robbers, who came about 10.00am on the fateful day (a Sunday), tied up the security man with iron wires in-between two containers. This was immediately after the Policemen providing overnight security had left at about 8.00 am.
Okorogu, the NDPHC executive director Networks wondered the temerity of the alleged robbers, coming in full daylight and loaded away 10 drums of aluminum conductors, where each drum weighs four tons.
Meanwhile, a major vandalisation of the Enugu – Ikot Ekpene 330 KVA transmission lines was the massive hacking down of a fully mounted power tower at Oronta village in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State.
The tower was to have carried the transmission lines that would finally loop the Ikot Ekpene bound towers.
Ikoro Onyebuchi Michael, secretary of the Oronta Development Union said the community has dissociated itself from the pepertrators of the heinous incident. He said the event happened on a rainy night.
He also said the community needs adequate compensation from the NDPHC, like access roads to their newly allocated development sites. “We agitate for full compensation to our bushes, forests and access roads,” he said.
Okorogu lamented the delays in realising the power project, saying: “Imagine that we’ve been on this 2 x 330 KVA project since 2009/ 2010, facing some of the most difficult challenges like encroachment on the transmission lines right-of-way by a Federal agency, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture; even after we have paid compensation on the areas within and around the ROW.
“We’re letting the general public to know the challenges we’ve been facing in completing the power projects,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Claudius Ogunrinde, the General Manager in charge of Transmission at the NDPHC, said vandalisation of transmission materials, apart from litigation, has constituted the major challenge that have bedeviled the Enugu – Ikot Ekpene 330 KVA transmission lines project.
The result of all this, is inability of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company to evacuate huge electricity domicilled in the Eastern region, generated from Enugu, Alaoji, Afam and Calabar power generating stations.
BEN EGUZOZIE
No comments:
Post a Comment