The ongoing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into alleged corruption and rot in the power sector has been exploited by some fifth columnists and a section of the media to churn out misleading information about certain corporate entities and individuals, a legal attorney Chijioke Onyeneke, has stated.
Speaking with journalists Monday on the development, Barr Onyeneke who is a lawyer to one of the companies said to have been targeted for such falsehood and campaign of calumny, Chris-Ejik International Agencies Ltd, said “The figure bandied by the report as amount collected by Chris-Ejik International Agencies Ltd cannot be corroborated by any contractual document anywhere.”
A recent publication by a daily titled: ‘Power Sector Probe: EFCC Quizzes 50, Traces N1. 5bn Bribe to NDPHC,’ reported that some companies contracted by the Niger Delta Power Holding Limited (NDPHL) to execute power projects allegedly collected staggering amount of money and abandoned the projects completely, half done or did just a little above 30 per cent job and disappeared.
Some of the projects were said to have unnecessarily dragged on for years and were being recycled, the report claimed.
The publication reported that, “As for Chris-Ejik, it handled Obudu new sub-station with 35 per cent of the job done after being paid N1, 034, 292, 598. 52 and $4,945,087.16. The company complained of way leave. The same company collected N500 million for Lot Trx (Lekki-Ajah/Ota-Ogba-Papalanto. Nothing was done by our investigation but the onus is on the company to come up with proof.”
However, Chijioke Onyeneke said the “report is a malicious and clear hatched job sponsored by those who are out to tarnish the national and international image and reputation of the company, Chris-Ejik International Agencies Ltd.”
Making further clarifications on the report, the lawyer said: “For instance, it is totally false to say that Lekki-Ajah power project is an independent transmission line as the publication suggested. No, it is not. Lekki-Ajah project was part of the Lot 14 transmission line comprising of New Abeokuta, Old Abeokuta, Ota and Papalanto.
“Another important point that was stressed was the fact that Chris-Ejik International Agencies Ltd built a 260 MVA Transmission Substation. Preceding this location are three other interconnected project locations – Otta, Papalanto and Old Abeokuta. Precisely the PROJECT started from Otta Substation where we erected a 1×60 MVA Substation and a 4×33 KVA Feeders.
“From Otta, it runs to Papalanto where we built a 3x33KVA Feeders. Continuing from Paplanto, the lines run to Old Abeokuta where we built a 3x132KV Feeders. From Old Abeokuta it runs to New Abeokuta which is where we are now. When you put together, the Lot 14 Project consists of engineering, procurement and construction of 4 Substations and 3 Transmission Lines across Four Towns and Communities”, he said.
Onyeneke, therefore, accused the medium of fake news and public misinformation, saying that “the report was biased as the company was not contacted to give its own side of the story.”
He said the publication also lied about the amount Chris-Ejik International Agencies Ltd collected for the Obudu sub-station.
He said that the work was stopped because the federal government said it could no longer fund the project, adding that “all these facts are verifiable but the paper chose mischief instead of professional journalism for such a hatched job”.
