FG to sell 10 new power plants

The 10 power plants being constructed under the National Integrated Power Projects are to be privatized as soon as they are commissioned, Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State has disclosed.
Suswam, a member of the Board of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, addressed newsmen after the Board’s meeting presided over by Vice President Namadi Sambo at the State House on Friday.
He said that the phased commissioning of the plants will commence by June this year.
Justifying the decision to sell the plants off, the governor said the privatisation of the plants will the pave way for their efficient management.
He also disclosed that plans have been concluded by the board to embark on roadshows across the world to attract the best companies to take part in the privatization exercise.
Governor Suswam, however, declined to mention the countries they intend to visit, saying a committee will be set up for that purpose at the board’s next meeting.
He said: “We want to embark on a roadshow before the privatization proper will commence.
“We want to generate interest and find very competent companies or enterprises that can manage these companies properly.
“With that, there will be a committee that will be set up for that purpose.
“It is not going to be done by the Bureau for Public Enterprise.
“It is going to be done by a special committee that we will set up by the NDPHC Board.
“The next meeting of the board, we will probably be able to have the people that will constitute the committee for the purpose of these companies.”
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, also a member of the board, was represented at the meeting by his deputy, Amos Utuama.
Others in attendance were the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power, Ambassador Godsknows Igali; and the Managing Director of the NDPHC, James Olotu.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Godknows Igali, was optimistic that power supply will improve considerably once the 10 plants are commissioned.
Igali said: “We are on track.
“We are ensuring that we have appropriate generation level, distribution level and transmission level on track.
“By the end of the year, we should have hit the 9,000 megawatts to 10,000 megawatts of power generation.”