Previous Administration Did Not Pay Some Contractors – Lai Mohammed

Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said the Federal Government has retrieved 690 containers of power equipment out of over 800 containers abandoned at various ports by the previous administration.

The minister disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja when he featured on a Radio Nigeria programme, “Politics Nationwide’’.

“You will remember that about 800 containers of power equipment were abandoned at the ports, because the previous administration did not pay the contractors and they abandoned the equipment there.
“As of today, we have been able to retrieve 690 of the containers,’’ he said.

The minister said that despite the shoddy privatisation process of the Power Generation Companies (GenCos) and Power Distribution Companies (DisCos) by the previous government, the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had taken pro-active measures to improve on electricity.

“When we came in 2015, we found out that many of the beneficiary companies of the privatisation process were undercapitalised, unequipped and they lack the necessary expertise.

“We, however, resisted the temptation of cancelling the privatisation of the GenCos and DisCos in order not to send wrong signal to the investing world.

“What we met on ground was very chaotic because the gas suppliers said they would not supply the GenCos with gas because GenCos were not paying.

“The GenCos said they would have loved to pay but the DisCos were not paying them,’’ he said.

To salvage the situation, Mohammed said the government set aside a N7.1 billion Payment Assurance Programme.