• NCP divided over lowering of rules for Interstate
THERE is apprehension in Abuja and the electricity industry that government’s
interference, which impacted negatively on previous efforts at privatisation, is
dogging the current exercise.
Stakeholders are worried that, but for government’s alleged interference in
the process, the privatisation of 15 successor companies of the Power Holding
Company of Nigeria (PHCN) would have been concluded last week.
This delay in concluding the process is adversely affecting the scorecard
already given by international development partners who funded some aspects of
the reforms in the power sector. They had called it “a world class model”
because of its openness and adherence to all laid-down rules and agreements.
A diplomat told The Guardian that “this hard-earned credibility of the
nation’s privatisation process is being threatened by accusations of
double-standards in government’s application of the rules of engagement. There
were initial allegations that some bidders that failed at the technical
evaluation stage and were not qualified for commercial evaluation were suddenly
announced as preferred bidders.”
Current attention is focused on the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company
where some stakeholders are accusing the National Council on Privatisation (NCP)
of desperately lowering the rules for Interstate Consortium, the preferred
bidder which failed to pay up when the deadline ended on August 21.
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