The senate committee defended NNPCL and ordered the contractor of the $1.27billion project to speed up work or face consequences.
The Senate through its committee on local content has frowned at the delay in the execution of the $2.8billion Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline project by Brentex CCP Limited.
In an interactive session on Tuesday, the committee chaired by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) discussed with the management of Brentex CPP Limited with regard to the $1.27 billion stations execution component of the contract. In his contribution, Brentex CPP Limited chairman, Sani Abubakar, bemoaned to the committee that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL) was attempting to descope the contract, which was contributing to the delays in contract execution.
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He said: “NNPCL has written to us that they are descoping the $1.27billion stations (TGS) component of the contract and we have been in discussion with them for the past eighteen months. So the delay on execution of the contract is not from us but from NNPCL.”
In a response, chairman of the committee retorted that based on information at her disposal through documents submitted, the NNPCL is making the move to take the stations component of the contract from Brentex due to delay in execution.
She said: “Should I tell you, you are refusing to mention something. The reason why NNPCL is considering descoping is that they are not satisfied with the pace of work. Let’s be very honest, they said the project supposed to be completed in 2022, it wasn’t completed and they gave you first extension to 2023 and even recently extended again to complete everything by May, 2025.
“To the very best of every stakeholders’ knowledge, the stations are in your control because it still makes part of the $1.27billion as you said and the only person delaying is you. Consequently, to sum it up, just submit every correspondence between your company and NNPCL. If they have written to you to descope, let us see that letter because I’m very sure, NNPCL must have stated in such letter that if you do not complete by so, so, we will take away this. They won’t just say we are descoping,” she added.
STAR Check: Nigerians, particularly, constituents of Kogi Central district, can keep tabs on the legislative performance of Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan throughout the 10th senate here.