ASABA: Former Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa said resolving the Okpai Independent Power Plant Phase 2 delays would be his top priority if elected Senator for Delta North, while faulting Senator Prince Ned Nwoko for what he described as a misunderstanding of the project’s funding structure.
Addressing the Delta North College of Youths gathering in Asaba yesterday, Okowa said Nwoko’s call for the state governor to take over the contract showed he did not grasp how Nigeria’s power sector functions.
Even today, I know the pains that the people, mainly in the Ndokwa area, Ndokwa/Ukwuani area, face concerning the power sector, Okowa said. But I know that it is a project that is between the company and the federal government, it is not a state project.
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He added that telling constituents the governor should take over the contract misrepresents the power sector’s setup. Okowa said the state had already stepped in during his tenure to pay for the right of way after the federal government and oil companies declined, and noted the project was split into the Okpai Phase 2 and the Kwale high-tension line, with the latter about 70% complete. Construction at Okpai slowed due to waterlogged land that raised costs, he said.
Looking ahead, Okowa stated: If I am elected as Senator for Delta North, this will be first on my list, and I believe that we can achieve it by the special grace of God.
Okowa’s pledge to make IPP Phase 2 his first priority as senator raises immediate questions given his own framing of the project:
If it’s a federal company project, what can a senator actually do?
During his tenure, Okowa said the state paid for the right of way and facilitated meetings with the then-minister. If those steps didn’t move the project forward, what would change in his capacity as senator to resolve the land and cost challenges he identified?
Even today, I know the pains that the people, mainly in the Ndokwa area, Ndokwa/Ukwuani area, the pains concerning the power sector. Many people may not have an idea about what is going on, but I know that it is a project that is between the company and the federal government it is not a state project.
When you know that it’s such, it’s important that you go to the right places to achieve what you have to achieve.
It’s important for me to bring this to our knowledge that it is not a state project. So when the senator tells you that he will go to the state governor and asking the state governor to take up the contract, he do not even understand how the power situation in this country works.
In my tenure, my second tenure, it was stopped at the point of getting the right of will. I told them: the federal government does not pay for right of will, neither do the oil companies pay for that. I took that up as a state government, and we paid completely for the right of will.
But there are challenges in the place. The project is awarded in two sectors: The power station that is going to be in Okpai, and the high-tension wire that is going to bring the light generated to Kwale and that particular contract has gone far, about 70%. But unfortunately, there is a major problem with the land at Okpai.
It has been awarded through a loan taken by the federal government. It’s important that we understand this.
Unfortunately, that land is waterlogged, and because it is waterlogged, the construction is going to cost much more than what it was awarded for. That’s why there was a slowdown in the project.
I will pursue that and ensure that it is reviewed. I have created the opportunity for the President General of the Ndokwa Neku Union, along with the member representing us in the House, to meet with the honorable minister who explained this to them. Unfortunately, that minister has resigned to contest for the governorship of Oyo State, and a new one has been appointed.
We will continue to do the best that we can before then. But as your senator, it will be first on my list, and I believe that we can achieve it by the special grace of God.”
