From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives has summoned the Director of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHD) over the abandoned 252MW Power Plant at Gbarain, Bayelsa.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance by Oboku Aforji (PDP-Bayelsa) during plenary in Abuja on Thursday.
Presenting the motion, the lawmaker stated that Gbarain is one of the 23 National Integrated power projects which had been deemed critical infrastructure.
This, he said, is in the area of generation, transmission, distribution and natural gas supply in sub-sectors of the electric power value chain by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
He said on November 30, 2020, the NDPHC lost the Power Control Module (PCM) of the Gbarain power plant to an inferno.
He said the Bayelsa government offered to take some responsibilities of the NDPHC, since the state happened to be the most affected.
He added that, particularly as the state owned Niger Delta University derived its electricity supply from the station.
“Accordingly, the state government undertook rehabilitation and restoration of the power supply through the 60MVA,132/33KV power transformer.”
This, he added, is currently supplying the Gbarain power station auxiliaries and host communities.
He said three years down the line, the NDPHC had not been able to live up to their responsibility by replacing the Power Control Module. Adopting the motion, the house urged Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chairman of the NDPHC Board to summon an emergency meeting of the board.
The house called for urgent resuscitation of the Gbarain 252 megawatt power station in Koroama, Bayelsa, to rejig the Niger Delta Power Holding Company(NDPHC).
The house also referred the motion to the committee on power for further legislative action.
The House has also directed the Ministry of Finance, the Budget the Office of the Accountant General of Federation, to pay withheld salaries of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) in the various tertiary institutions.
It also admonished the government to desist from selective treatment of unions in tertiary institutions, so as to avoid counter strike actions by the unions.
The parliament also urged President Bola Tinubu to direct relevant Miniseries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to adopt modalities for true negotiation with both the academic and non-academic staff unions, so as to come up with workable, implementable and final agreement to be signed by both parties. This followed the adoption of a motion by Abubakar Fulata, on the need to implement all agreements between the government, the academic and the non academic staff unions in tertiary institutions, so as to avert further strike by the institutions.
Fulata, in the motion, expressed concern that tertiary institutions in the country had witnessed unprecedented strikes over the last three decades, owing to non implementation of agreement and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), especially the 2009 agreement between the government and the unions.
According to him, “Strikes have continued to distort both the academic activities and calendar, thereby negatively affecting the early and timely completion of academic programmes, and by extension, the future of students as a result of these incessant strikes.
“This, and other issues, such as poor funding of public tertiary institutions in the education sub-sector, resulted in a growing demand for foreign owned and private universities in the country, which is characterised by illicit activities, including certificate racketeering.
“Also, the actions have negative effects on the realisation of the missions and visions set by the government with the possible consequences on our economic and technological advancement.”
He explained that most of the demands of the unions, which include provision of infrastructural facilities, instructional aids and equipment, and proper remuneration, among others, were genuine and implementable.
Fulata, while stating that the country did not need another strike in tertiary institutions to address the complaints of the unions, expressed worry over the poor handling of issues by the government.
He contended that “The way and manner this issue is being handled and treated with levity, and given the selective treatment, if not properly handled and resolved amicably, is capable of further aggravating the impasse, and distorting academic activities with the attendant proliferation of social vices, economic and security consequences to the country. “