Okpai IPP Project: Aide urges Nwoko to seek FG’s intervention

Sen. Ned Nwoko (PDP-Delta) has been advised to attract funds from the Federal Government to execute the power step down at Okpai community of Delta.

Mr Olisa Ifeajika, Executive Assistant to Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori on Public Enlightenment (Project and Policies), gave the advice on Thursday while briefing newsmen in Asaba, Delta.

Ifeajika lauded Nwoko for good representation, adding that he did well to have recognised and challenged the delay in stepping down power project in the community.

Ifeajika said that there are three tiers of government in the country, each with specific and well-defined duties and functions as enshrined in the constitution.

He said that it was wrong for Nwoko to want to coax Oborevwori to pay N35 billion to execute a power project that was domiciled exclusively as a federal government project.

Olise said that the Minister of Power had said that provision for the N35 billion would be made in the 2025 budget to execute the stepping down of 100 megawatts of electricity in Okpai community.

Ifeajika said that the Government of Delta has nothing to do with the project, though the project would benefit its people, it remained an exclusive list of the Federal Government.

He said that the project was a joint venture of the Federal Government (NNPCL), Agip Nigeria Limited and Conoco Nigeria Limited which was inaugurated in 2005 by the Federal Government.

The governor’s aide said that since power generation was in the exclusive list, power generated at Okpai is transmitted into the National Grid and distributed without recourse to step down power to the host community.

“Nwoko saw the need to get the management of Okpai IPP to step down the power to benefit the immediate Opkai community,” he said.

He said that Nwoko had moved a motion to investigate the delay in stepping down the 100 megawatts of electricity out of the 930 megawatts of power being generated at the plant.

“He (Nwoko) also urged the power company to quickly step down the 100 megawatts of electricity in the community,” Ifeajika said.

Ifeajika said that the motion did not in any way suggest that Delta Government should investigate nor pay anything to execute the project.

“We find it most unkind for the Senator to begin to coax our governor to pick the bill on Opkai power project.

“What the senator needed to do is to liaise with the State House of Assembly to address some of these issues.

“We call on Nwoko to pursue the request from the federal government; he should also channel his energy to attracting funds to fix all failed federal roads within his constituency.

“As our only Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senator, we expect that he should work closely with our governor to make things work seamlessly,” Ifeajika said.

The governor’s aide urged Nwoko to concentrate on his legislative duty in Abuja to attract development to the state.

Ifeajika, who was Chief Press Secretary to the immediate past Governor, also debunked insinuations that Oborevwori was concentrating development in Warri and environs.

“There is this notion that the previous administration did so much in Asaba and neglected Warri and environs,“he said.

He said that with the drains in Warri almost completed, Oborevwori has started giving the city the attention it deserves. It is our wish to see Warri come back to its glory days,” Ifeajika said.