The Nigeria Government has asked her Chinese counterpart to attest to the competences and integrity of their companies doing businesses in Nigeria particularly in the power sector.
The Government observed with concern the progress of work on the 3500mw, Mambilla Hydro Power Project and the 700mw Zungeru Hydro Power being handled by SINO Hydro and CGGC respectively.
The Minister of State for Power, Mr. Darius Ishaku, who had a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador, Mr. Beng Boqing at the weekend, over the concern of the government on the two companies said "the guarantee became important as a result of the importance the government places on the two dams in shoring up power supply".
Mr. Ishaku informed the Chinese Authorities that these two projects in particular were too large that no single company can execute each of them alone and deliver at a stipulated timeline, "that is why we are worried" he said.
Government, he revealed, intends to pair or subcontract some parts of the project "so that the objectives for the investment is realized within the expected time frame".
He said the Federal Government is not comfortable with the companies and has reasons to doubt the abilities of these companies to successfully handle these projects of these magnitudes.
The Minister of Power hinted that the Federal Government had directed CGGC to pair with SINO Hydro to achieve the targets set for various projects.
In answer to a question from the Chinese Ambassador, Mr. Beng Boqing, the Minister of State agreed that Nigeria cancelled the Agreement it entered into with CGGC when it became obvious that a single company could not go it alone and that the Federal Government had since called on CGGC to pair with SINO among other companies to speed up work on the Mambilla Hydro Power Project.
Earlier, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Boqing had vouched for his country's entities and emphasized that these companies were as famous in China as they are in Nigeria in areas of hydro power technology.
He said "Chinese Government appreciates the central role stability in electric power will portend for Nigeria in her quest to be a leading nation and emphasized that Chinese expertise in hydro power construction is only one of the Chinese entities working in various sectors of the Nigeria economy" to consolidate China- Nigeria 40 years of friendship .
"Chinese Hydro Power Companies especially CGGC and SINO are competent, popular and competitive in China and had played eminent roles in the industrial development of Nigeria" the Ambassador noted.
He said it was wrong for the country to work out on an Agreement without consulting her partners or other parties.
"Agreement is an Agreement and it sanctity involved be sacred" the Ambassador advised.
Via: Federal Ministry of Power - Official Press Release