By Frank Iroroh
Ignorance is a devastating disease, it becomes awe-stricken when such lack of knowledge is sprue by people at the high echelon of government, the governor’s media aides. Reading through the gibberish articles written by a bunch of the Governor’s overzealous media aides, bothering on Distinguished Senator Ned Nwoko’s honest advocacy for a collaborative effort between the State and the Federal Government toward speedy execution of the protracted Okpai stepdown project churns my stomach and makes me sick.
In the first instance, it is incomprehensible to imagine a bunch of media aides to a state governor, Delta State for that matter, who does not know the difference between a Power Plant and a Stepdown, two very contrasting terms. A little research would have served them better before publicly expressing their brazen ignorance.
Okpai Independent Power Plant is not Okpai Stepdown. Okpai Independent Power Plant is already up and running, it does not require a dime from the Delta government for its operations. It has for a very long time, been servicing the National Grid with close to 1000 megawatts of Electricity, The total output of the plant is been transmitted to the North and other parts of the country, to service the energy needs in FCT and several other states in Nigeria, whereas the Okpai Stepdown, like every other step down we are conversant with is meant to service the energy needs of host communities in Delta State.
The Power Plant at maximum production capacity is capable of generating a thousand megawatts of electricity daily and ten percent of the total output was meant to service the host Delta State, the initial estimation was to supply 50 megawatts of electricity to all the communities within its 50km radius, this arrangement was then, when the plant initial output was 480 megawatts, now that the energy output of the Plant has increased to about 1000 megawatts, the percent share to the host community will automatically increase to 100 megawatts, with an extended coverage close to 100km radius, meaning that the energy from the Stepdown has the potential to serve communities across parts of Delta North, Delta South, and Delta Central Senatorial Districts. Suffice it to say that the Step when completed will boost the electricity supply in Delta State.
Therefore, the confusion between Okpai IPP and Okpai Stepdown should not exist, the Okpai IPP, is a power-generating plant designed, to tap electricity from the huge gas deposit in Delta State, whilst the Okpai Step-down is a power transmitting system, meant to transmit the tapped energy from the Okpai IPP to Delta State communities.
Okpai IPP
Okpai Independent Power Plant is a joint venture business between Agip Oil PLC and the Nigeria National Petroleum Company NNPC, the Plant was inaugurated by former President Obasanjo in April 2005, with an order for the immediate implementation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the plant, which included the provision of ten percent of the total energy output of the plant to the host communities in Delta State.
As Senator Ned Nwoko rightly put it “Okpai IPP plays a crucial role in the national power distribution system in Nigeria and has earned a reputation as the most consistent power plant in Nigeria”.
Okpai Stepdown
With the Okpai IPP up and running the implementation of the Okpai Stepdown project continues to suffer hiccups and unnecessary delays, again as Senator Nwoko said, “To enhance its (Okpai IPP) electricity supply to Delta States communities, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) awarded a contract worth approximately N4.2billion in 2021 for the construction of a 132KV Double Circuit Transmission Line”. He further remarked that to date, there have been unexplained delays in executing the contract project. The delays have resulted in several protests by the brave Ndokwa youths, who have used the protest to register their anger and frustration over the unnecessary delay in the execution of the Stepdown project.
SENATOR NED NWOKO’S ADVOCACY
Distinguished Senator Ned Nwoko, as an elected Senator representative Delta North, unlike his predecessors, could not stomach a situation where a community that supplies electricity to other states in the country continued to live in stacked darkness, to him, it is immoral, hence he decided to take the bull by the horns.
About six months ago Senator Ned Nwoko moved a motion for the speedy execution of the Okpai stepdown project, the motion received overwhelming bi-partisan support on the floor of the 10th Senate, and the Senate, there and then resolved to refer the matter to the minister of power and energy for immediate action.
Not stopping there, as others would have done, Distinguished Senator Ned Nwoko went to the minister of Power and Energy to remind him of the Senate resolution regarding the Okpai step-down project. The reply he got from the minister was that the project was not captured in the budget, but he the minister however, assured Senator Ned Munir Nwoko that the project would be covered in subsequent budgets.
As a man with a boiling spirit to get things done and done very quickly, Senator Ned Munir Nwoko weighs several other options, and being a man with smart business acumen, decided to reach out to his state governor, Governor oborevwori, a governor in the same political party with him, to share his ideas with him, the suggestions were for the government of Delta States to take up the execution of the Okpai step-down project (not Okpai IPP) and recoup the cost from the Federal Government or in the alternative invites stand by investors to do the job and allow them recoup their expenditure through billings, these universally acceptable best practices were rebuff by the governor with a frenzy excuse of lack of funds. Does lack of funds in any way prevent the governor from considering the second option, which is to invite investors to do the job? What is the essence of all the Delta State Government media blitz about attracting investment to Delta State?
Think about this, if a governor who receives close to N45billion monthly allocation from the federation account, (not including the monthly Internal revenues)’ says he has no N5billion to spend on a project as vital as electricity supply that will enhance the socioeconomic lives of Deltans, will such a cold response, not illicit questions? The question is what is Governor Oborevwori doing with all the humongous monthly allocations he receives from the federal government?
It must be noted that the site of the step-down Okpai, houses the largest natural gas reserve in Nigeria, with the following multinational oil companies operating in the area;
The Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC), Sterling Exploration and Energy Production Company (SEEPCO), Energia Limited, Midwestern Oil and Gas Limited, Pillar Oil Limited, Chorus Energy Limited, and others, so, chunks of the derivation revenue flow from the area into Gov. Oborevwori’s pockets. He has no excuse not to treat the Ndokwa nation fairly. This is the crush of all the insults being heaped on Distinguished Senator Ned Nwoko by Delta State governor’s media rats, just for standing up for the people of Delta State.
Considering the socioeconomic importance of the Okpai Stepdown project to Delta State, one would expect the state governor to be smart and act proactively to prioritize the Stepdown project, to use a stone to kill two birds, by facilitating the execution of the Stepdown to light up Delta State as well as to generate revenue and create jobs for Deltans through such a venture. After all, the Delta State Government under former Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan spent close to N44 billion to build the now comatose Oghara IPP which has an estimated output of just 60 megawatts. What is the N5 billion cost for Okpai Steodown compared to the N44billion Oghara IPP mirage and what are 60 megawatts from the sold Oghara IPP compared to more than 100 megawatts of electricity, that Okpai Step down offers?
We all know the importance of electricity as the life wire of every economy, which is why some serious and business-minded governors are investing in the sector, Abia State which receives less than ten percent of what Delta State receives, has electrified nine Local government areas within 100 days of Governor Otti assumption of office.
MARGINALIZATION OF NDOKWA NATION
The government is created to cater to the warfare of the people through fair and equitable distribution of the resources of the state. In His recent interaction with the Anioma people, Distinguished Senator Ned Nwoko expressed total displeasure at the level of deplorable condition in Ndokwa land, the environmental degradation – pollution of rivers, farmlands, and air, resulting from gas flaring and other activities of multinational oil companies operating in the area In addition, the area lacks accessible roads, electricity supply and safe drinking water, making life in most Ndokwa communities a living hell.
So despite the huge revenue derived from Ndokwa land, the government of Delta State has ignored the plight of the people over the years, empty promises, and failed projects litter the area, like the Okpai Step Down, Aboh Polytechnic, Kwale Industrial Park, and countless others.
Distinguished Senator Ned Nwoko who is representing the Senatorial District, is a man of empathy, he cannot fold his hands and watch the people suffer, he cares for the plight of his people, and does not believe in pandering. He hits the nail exactly on the head. He can go to places to negotiate a better deal for his people.
Senator Ned Nwoko has sponsored a bill for an act to address gas flaring in Delta North and the entire Niger Delta Area, the first time such a bill is tabled before the Senate. Senator Ned is not an ego-galavanting, meandering, and personal contract-seeking politician, he is a bold goal-gette and the welfare of the people is always at the center of his actions.
Ossai Ovie Success’s Obloquious Fact-Checks
Ossai Ovie Success’s fact-check on Distinguished Senator Ned Nwoko’s position on the Okpai stepdown is nothing but garbage, he did not deal with the interaction between the governor and the most distinguished senator but only succeeded in branding Senator Ned Nwoko a liar, Ossai Ovie Success who is of Ndokwa extraction, says he is disappointed by the actions of Senator Ned Munir Nwoko, a man who is working tirelessly to save his people from squalor and deprivation, a man who is knocking doors to ensure that Ndokwa people lives in a better and save environment. Ossai Ovies Success is a disgrace to the Ndokwa people, he belongs to a class of young politicians, we can classify as useful idiots, people who will not hesitate to give their mother a dirty painful slap to please their paymaster, such individuals cannot be trusted, look at how he discredited former governor Okowa in his warped post, crediting Gov Oborevwori with all the projects he had earlier flaunted as haven been executed by Gov Okowa. What gut has such a little brat got to insult Senator Prince Ned Munir Nwoko, Think about this, If Ossai Success can publicly discredit former governor Okowa, a man who brought him to the political limelight in such a ridiculous manner, it will not be long, just a matter of time before he turns against his current paymaster.
Rantings Of Fred Latimore
Barr Fred Latimore is my bosom friend, I am among those who gave him the nickname ‘media giant and media guru’ but unfortunately the media giant has now become a media Ant dwelling on pedestal issues and taunting Distinguished Senator Ned Nwoko for questioning the equity policies of Governor Oborievwori whilst he meanders around the core issue. His sarcastic statement on Anioma state creation is well noted. Anioma State will be created and he should be rest assured that when it happens, Anioma State is not going to be governed with reckless abandon as Delta State is being governed.
Frank Iroroh is the Coordinator,
NMN Volunteer Corps (The Nedites)
You can reach the group via email at Nditevcorps@gmail.com
