privatisation of the power sector is enveloped
in uncertainty following conflicting signals
emanating from key stakeholders on the
scheduled handover of the successor
companies of the Power Holding Company of
Nigeria tomorrow (Friday).
While the Federal Government is insisting that
there is no going back on the handover date,
the PHCN workers are gearing up for a
nationwide strike to prevent the handover,
claiming that their terminal entitlements have
not been fully paid.
The consortia that won the bids for the
successor power firms, on the other hand, are
anxiously waiting to receive the nod from the
government to take over the firms so that
they can begin the implementation of their
turnaround plans.
To underline its seriousness about the
November 1 handover of the firms to the new
investors, the Federal Government has
deployed ministers and key officials to the
various locations of the successor companies
to handle the transfer of ownership on its
behalf.
It insisted that 40,093 out of the 47,913
identified workers of the PHCN had been fully
paid their entitlements, which were put at
N294.4bn, while N214.2bn was paid as
severance package, with the workers' pension
gulping N80.2bn.
The National Union of Electricity Employees
is, however, disputing the payment of the
pension contributions, and has vowed to call
the workers out on an indefinite strike.
The Federal Government, through the Bureau
of Public Enterprises, on Wednesday released
the schedule for the handover, with key
government officials mandated to represent
Vice-President Namadi Sambo, who is also the
Chairman, National Council on Privatisation at
the various locations.
According to a statement by the BPE, the
Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, will
hand over the Abuja Distribution Company to
KANN Utility Consortium in Abuja; the
Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,
will hand over the Ibadan Distribution
Company to Integrated Energy Distribution &
Marketing Limited; while the Minister of
Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Deziani Alison-
Madueke, will give out the Enugu Distribution
Company to Interstate Electrics Limited.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and
Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, will give
out the Eko Distribution Company to West
Power & Gas; the Minister of Transport, Idris
Umar, is expected to hand over the Kainji
Electricity Distribution Company to
Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited; while
the Attorney-General of the Federation and
Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke,
will handle the transfer of the Yola
distribution Company to Integrated Energy
Distribution and Marketing Limited.
Similarly, the Minister of Mines and Steel
Development, Mr. Musa Sada, will oversee the
handing over of the Kano Distribution
Company to Sahelian Power SPV Limited; the
Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku,
will transfer the Jos Distribution Company to
Aura Energy Limited; the Minister of Labour,
Chief Emeka Wogu, will hand over the Ughelli
Generation Company to Transcorp Ughelli
Power Plc; while the Minister of State for
Works, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, will
preside over the handing over of the Shiroro
Generation Company to North-South Power
Company.
The Director-General, BPE, Mr. Benjamin
Dikki, is expected to hand over the Ikeja
Distribution Company and Egbin Power Plant
to NEDC/KEPCO Consortium; the Permanent
Secretary, Ministry of Power, Dr. Godswill
Igali, will handle the transfer of the Port
Harcourt Distribution Company to 4Power
Consortium; the Chairman, Presidential Task
Force on Power, Mr. Beks Dagogo-Jack, will
hand over the Benin Distribution Company to
Vigeo Power Consortium; while the Group
Managing Director, Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Andrew Yakubu,
will preside over the transfer of the Geregu
Generation Company to Amperion Power
Distribution.
Dikki said, "This handover is a culmination of
14 years of painstaking effort by the National
Council on Privatisation, Bureau of Public
Enterprises and other key stakeholders to
reform and liberalise Nigeria's electricity
industry, which began in 1999."
Igali also said this while briefing State House
correspondents on the outcome of a meeting
between the stakeholders in the power
privatisation process and Sambo at the
Presidential Villa, Abuja that the government
was sure of a successful handing over since it
had made a significant progress in settling the
disengaged workers.
Igali explained that while the severance
packages went directly into the bank accounts
of beneficiaries, the gratuity was paid to their
pension fund custodians.
He added that the documents of additional
605 workers, who were validated on Tuesday,
had been sent for payment.
The permanent secretary, however, said the
government currently had issues with some
workers, whose biometric data were
corrupted.
He said those under this category, 1,478
workers from the Enugu Distribution Company
and 929 others nationwide would be invited
to Abuja for recapturing.
Igali said the government also had issues with
another 1,000 workers who had been cleared
but had cases of duplication of names and
account numbers, while describing as bad
cases those of 2,500 whom he said had no
record that they were PHCN workers probably
because they were casual workers.
However, the NUEE directed the workers to
withdraw their services if the government
eventually went ahead with the handover of
the PHCN subsidiary companies to private
investors on Friday.
The Secretary General, NUEE, Mr. Joe Ajaero,
in a statement on Wednesday, said
outstanding labour issues had yet to be
resolved by the Federal Government; adding
that the plan to hand over the power assets
negated the agreement it reached with the
union.
"By this statement, we urge all workers of
PHCN to withdraw their services from any
unit in the event of further provocation by
armed military personnel desperate to take
over PHCN installations. This is to avoid
confrontations with the troops from
November 1, 2013," he said.
Ajaero noted that the gratuity payment was
only 68 per cent completed, adding that no
member of staff has had their pension
contributions transferred into their
Retirement Savings Accounts.
He said, "Those that retired from service since
2011 have not received their benefits
totalling about N19bn. The differences of the
shortfall of the terminal benefits from June
30, 2012 till date have not been considered
for payment.
"The biometrically captured and considered
casuals' appointment has not been addressed.
The question of 10 per cent equity
shareholding (in the companies) by the
workers as statutorily provided has not been
given attention.
"While we appreciate and sympathise with the
core investors, we ask for their understanding
and that of the Nigerian public in our pursuit
to ensure a seamless transition. We are
resolute on receiving every kobo owed us as
we are sure such liabilities will not be borne
by the new investors unless there is a
commitment to that effect from them."
The President-General, Senior Staff
Association of Electricity and Allied
Companies, Mr. Bede Opara, stated that
although all government agencies concerned
in the process had made tremendous efforts
at settling the workers, what was remaining
was the payment of the employees' pensions.
He stated that the workers would not have
been interested in embarking on a strike, but
maintained that the handover of the firms
would not be fair if all issues were not
amicably resolved.
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