Our attention has been drawn to an online video by MC2 Kingdom Comedy aired mainly on social media wherein the producers talked about the abandonment of the 1 x 30MVA, 132/33 KV transmission substation at Ozoro in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. We would have allowed it to glide as one of the very many comedy skits of potential content creators seeking attention, but for the several mentions of the name of our Group Managing Director, Dr. (Engr.) Matthew Edevbie in the 11:33 minutes video, it becomes imperative to state the facts of the matter to combat attempt by the ill-informed producers of the video to misinform members of the public.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
The Ozoro substation project was among some electrification projects awarded by the Delta State government during the second tenure of His Excellency James Onanefe Ibori aimed at bringing electricity to the door step of the common man in Delta State. It was awarded as 1 x 15 MVA 132/33 KV transmission substation at Ozoro to Income Electrix Limited in 2007 At the same time, the 132 KV Transmission Line from Afiesere to feed the substation at Ozoro was awarded by the same Delta Government to News Engineering Limited.
As it turned out, the 1 x 15 MVA capacity 132/33KV transformer specified for the Ozoro substation became inadequate to feed the Ozoro communities in the light of increasing population and also fell short of TCN’s standards. All efforts by Income Electrix Limited to get the Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan administration that took over from HE James Ibori administration in 2007, to revise the scope of the project from 1 x 15 MVA to 1 x 30MVA proved abortive. This lobbying went on for several years in futility. Also, for reasons best known to News Engineering Limited, they were not able to implement the transmission line project from the time of award to 2011. Through the untiring efforts of our Group Managing Director, Engr. (Dr) Matthew Edevbie who leveraged on his relationship with the then management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Commission graciously agreed to take over the projects from the Delta State Government, and on March 31st 2011 awarded the Ozoro 1x30MVA, 132/33KV Substation among three (3) others. To be clear, the NDDC award was captured as, “The Award of Contract for the construction of 132KV
Transmission Line from Delta IV power station to Afiesere and 1X30MVA, 132/33KV Substation each at Afiesere and Ozoro, Delta State”.
The scope covers the following works:
• Construction of 2 X 132KV Line Bay Extension at Delta IV Ughelli Power Station now Transcorp Power.
• Construction of 12.3 KM Double Circuit Line from Delta IV Ughelli to Afiesere 1 X 30MVA, 132/33KV Substation
• Construction of Afiesere 1 x 30 MVA, 132/33 KV Substation
• Construction of Ozoro 1 x 30 MVA, 132/33 KV Substation.
The Afiesere – Ozoro 132 KV Transmission line was not included because as at this time of the NDDC award, the project was an active News Engineering Ltd contract. For emphasis, this award came through due to the persistent push and behind the scene lobbying by Dr. (Engr.) Matthew Edevbie. It will be recalled that it was this same man while working at Soko-Tech Nig Limited in the mid to late eighties in his formative years as an engineer, that designed the electrification of 42 communities in Isoko nation and proceeded to actually electrify over 25 communities in the Isoko nation, among which were, Ieyde, Olomoro, Emede, Ovwodokpokpor, Enwhe, Igbide Uzere, Irri, Ada, Oleh, Bethel, Oyede, Ivrogbo, Araya, Aviara Ozoro, Idheze, Iluelogbo, Owhelogbo just to name a few. These are verifiable facts. His passion and dedication to see to the successful electrification and development of Isoko nation and Delta state as a whole did not start today and it’s still alive.
WORK PROGRESS
Of the award by NDDC in 2011, presented in the table below is the status / work progress as at 2017:
The Award of Contract for the construction of 132KV Transmission Line and 1X30MVA, 132KV Substation each at Afiesere and Ozoro, Delta State.
S/N
SUBPROJECTS STATUS (%)
ENERGIZATION
COMMENT
1 2X132KV Line Bay Extension at Delta IV Ughelli Power Station now Transcorp
100
02/05/2017 Officially Commissioned by NDDC 25th January, 2019. Reference The Guardian Friday 25th January 2019.
2 Construction of 12.3 KM Double Circuit Line from Delta IV Ughelli to Afierese 1X30MVA, 132/33KV
Substation
100
02/05/2017
Officially Commissioned by NDDC 25th January, 2019. Reference The Guardian Friday 25th January 2019
3 Construction of Afiesere 1x30MVA, 132/33KV
Substation
100
02/05/2017 Officially Commissioned by NDDC 25th January, 2019. Reference The Guardian Friday 25th January 2019.
4
Construction of Ozoro 1x30MVA, 132/33KV
Substation
75
TBD
Put on Hold in 2019 because the substation cannot be put to use and risk of vandalization as the required Transmission line to transmit power from Afiesere substation is unavailable. This was done to mitigate the risk of vandalism. However, the contractor Income Electrix Ltd have continuously provided local security from the community to secure the site.
FATE OF PROJECT:
Having achieved 75% completion level as certified by the client, NDDC, whilst the Afiesere to Ozoro 132KV Transmission Line by News Engineering Limited was yet to take off, Income Electrix Limited, as part of its continuous efforts to see that the Ozoro 1x30MVA, 132/33KV Substation comes on stream took, the following actions which are still being sustained;
• Securing the substation to the extent of installation in place through the engagement of the service of a CLO and security from the Ozoro Community who are paid monthly
• Continuous maintenance of the site by yearly bush clearing to avoid bush fire especially in December periods
• Continuous engagement with the Niger Delta Development Commission that finally led to the re-AWARD OF (CONTRACT FOR THE EXTENSION OF 132KV LINE FROM AFIESERE SUBSTATION TO OZORO SUBSTATION INCLUDING A
LINE BAY LOT 1, LOT 2 & LOT 3, DELTA STATE. This contract was awarded
December 18th 2018 to Income Electrix Limited, and the scope covered construction of foundations, supply of towers and erection, supply of overhead line materials and stringing.
The justification for the project as pushed by Income Electrix Limited to the Niger Delta Development Commission was borne out of the necessity to supply power to benefiting communities in the entire Oil rich Kwale and Isoko areas of Delta State that have been in darkness for ages leveraging on the existing 1 x 30MVA, 132/33 KV substation at Ozoro that has attained over 75% completion since 2015 but had no transmission line to service the substation for the benefit of the intended communities
PROJECT STATUS/PROGRESS FOR NEW AWARD:
The three Lots of the project by 2019 have attained 25% progress averagely across
✓ Lot-1:
• Preliminary survey
• Detailed Survey
• Geotechnical Investigation
• Engineering Designs for tower Foundations with respect to different soil classes and erection of 15Nos. foundations
✓ Lot-2:
• Engineering Design for Tower types DD2, DD10, DD30, DD60, DD90/DE,
• Commitment to Vendor for the Offshore Procurement
✓ Lot-3:
• Detailed Engineering Design for transmission line Materials and Accessories
• Commitment to Vendor for the Offshore Procurement
PROJECT ISSUES:
However, the project has not progressed further for the following reasons;
• Inadequate budgetary provision in the NDDC budget.
• The required Letters of Credit of the offshore portion of the split currency contract necessary for the procurement of the offshore materials has not been established by the Commission as per contract requirement for Lot 2 & Lot 3 even though the 5th Governing Board of NDDC in her 6th Meeting of 13th June,
2018 favorably considered our request for same. This was to stem the overall effect of attendant runaway inflation on the cost of offshore construction materials and equipment.
• The full execution/implementation of lot 1 is dependent on the execution of lot 2 procurement
• Escalation in project execution cost. This has brought about the request for contract price variation without which the project cannot be successfully executed
• Vandalization of the 75% completed 1 x 30MVA, 132/33 KV Ozoro substation located to receive the 132KV OHL and also serve as feeder to the benefiting communities.
It is on record that in recent times that Dr. (Engr). Matthew Edevbie has held meetings with the senator representing Delta South, Distinguished Senator Joel Onowakpo Thomas, Chairman House Committee on NDDC in NASS, Hon Eritake Ibori, and Chairman of NDDC individually, all in a bid to sort out the issues ranging from Letter of Credit to budgetary provision, hampering the delivery and commissioning of the Ozoro 132KV line and 132/33 KV substation project.
SUGGESTED PANACEA
The client NDDC needs to urgently address / review the request for variation submitted by the contractor, and ensure adequate budgetary provision.
Take necessary actions regarding the establishment of the required Letter of Credit for the procurement of the offshore materials.
The client is also kindly requested to evaluate the existing 1 x 30 MVA, 132/33 KV substation at Ozoro that have suffered some levels of vandalism despite the security arrangement put in place for the past 8 years, to ascertain the level of vandalization to be able to compensate the project adequately. This will help considering the huge financial investment made by NDDC to have brought the project up to over 75% completion.
Now to our brothers at Mc2Kingdom Comedy, the facts are before you. It is crystal clear all that our GMD Dr. (Engr.) Matthew Edevbie and Income Electrix Limited have done has been to the best interest of the project and the Isoko nation. Income Electrix Limited in her over 32 years of faithful and sometimes selfless service to Delta State and Nigeria at large, has not abandoned any project, and this will not be the first. It is always proper to be fully informed before going to press or you risk litigation. Now that you have the verifiable facts as clearly laid out above, you are hereby advised to within
the next 48 hours do a retraction of that video vide the same medium through which you aired the unfortunate video.
It’s on record that Income Electrix Limited executed projects valued at over N6.5Bn for the Delta State Government at different locations between 2006 and 2010 that the Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa led administrations declined payment till date. We did not take to social media to protest, rather we have continuously engaged with the government and still continue to engage.
Signed management
Income Electrix Limited
