Drama as NERC chair, accountant fail to produce evidence of N2bn office renovation contract sum

 A melodrama,  yesterday, ensued during the presentation and defence of 2021 budget by the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, as its Chairman, James Momoh and Accountant could not produce the contract sum for the renovation of the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.

The officials had appeared before the Committee on Power, led by Aliyu Magaji for their budget defence, and made  a fresh request of N2 billion to complete the partitioning and furnishing of the commission’s headquarters.

Asked to produce the evidence for the contract sum, Momoh said he didn’t have it but determined to get results, the House Committee chairman shifted enquiries to the commission’s accountant who also couldn’t produce any evidence.

Consequently, Magaji threatened to delete the request from the budget if the officials failed to produce the documents.

The following were the verbal exchanges between the lawmaker and the commission’s officials.

Magaji: What is the contract sum?

Momoh: I don’t have the original contract sum but it’s being done on yearly basis. We can provide that if you need it.

Magaji turning to Accountant: What’s the contract sum?

Accountant (Opts for details instead): This contract has 8 floors…

Magaji: Please, we know your office. It’s a simple question. You are partitioning your office. What’s the contract sum?

Accountant: There is no contract sum for all. We have been given permission to do it as the funding…

Magaji (interjects): Who gave you the permission? So, you don’t need N2 billion if you don’t have a contract sum.

Accountant: This is an estimate, sir. The contract is given in lots. May be, this is lot one to address the first floor, may be lot two will come, as the funding becomes available.

Magaji: In lots? My friend, you are confusing us..I need the budgetary approval for your work. If you don’t have contract sum, we will delete this from your budget and you have zero. You have only one line item budget and you appear unprepared. So, you should go and come back.

Meanwhile, in his preliminary remarks, chairman of the commission, Momoh, lauded his agency for the unusual stride recorded in the area of mass metering of electricity consumers in the country, stressing that the era of estimated billing was over.

Metering issue as you know, we have had a lot of discussion in the last several months. Yours truly has been in the meeting with the labour unions and the government side of options that are necessary to make to respond to where there are lacuna or gaps, especially in metering.

‘’The one million number type roll plan between now and the first quarter of 2021 is on course. We have the time table. We have identified what is to be given to each of the DISCOs for their customers.