{"id":121251,"date":"2025-08-06T13:43:55","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T12:43:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=121251"},"modified":"2025-08-06T13:43:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T12:43:55","slug":"investigate-political-influence-in-contracts-stakeholders-urge-fg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/investigate-political-influence-in-contracts-stakeholders-urge-fg\/","title":{"rendered":"\u200eInvestigate Political Influence in Contracts,\u00a0 Stakeholders Urge FG"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>By \u200eDaniel Adaji<\/div>\n<div>\u200e<\/div>\n<div>\u200eStakeholders in Nigeria\u2019s electricity sector have called on the Federal Government to establish an investigative panel to probe public servants and political appointees allegedly influencing the award of government contracts for personal gain.<\/div>\n<div>\u200e<\/div>\n<div>\u200eAccording to a copy of the communique obtained by Pointblanknews.com on Wednesday, participants at a one-day Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) Safety Strategic Workshop decried rising cases of contract racketeering in the power sector and warned that political interference is compromising national procurement policies and entrenching corruption.<\/div>\n<div>\u200e<\/div>\n<div>\u200e\u201cThe federal government should set up an investigative panel on contract racketeering to fish out and punish public servants and serving political appointees who influence the award of government contracts to companies they have an interest in,\u201d the communique stated.<\/div>\n<div>\u200e<\/div>\n<div>\u200eStakeholders said such interference amounts to a conflict of interest and undermines efforts to improve transparency, service delivery, and electricity safety across the country.<\/div>\n<div>\u200e<\/div>\n<div>\u200eThe workshop, held recently in Abuja, was organised by the Association for Public Policy Analysis (APPA) in collaboration with the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria and the Licensed Electrical Contractors Association of Nigeria. It drew 50 NESI stakeholders from across public and private sector organisations.<\/div>\n<div>\u200e<\/div>\n<div>\u200eWith the theme, \u201cBuilding partnership for advocacy against funding challenges affecting compliance and enforcement of electricity safety standards and regulations in Nigeria,\u201d the event aimed to develop an advocacy framework that strengthens compliance and promotes a collaborative approach to electricity safety.<\/div>\n<div>\u200e<\/div>\n<div>\u200eParticipants further expressed disappointment over the absence of 23 out of the 27 government institutions invited to the workshop. Only the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), and the House of Representatives Committee on Safety Standards and Regulations were represented.<\/div>\n<div>\u200e<\/div>\n<div>\u200eThey noted that the absence of key institutions such as the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Ministry of Finance, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) \u201cputs a question mark on their commitment to implement policies and programmes that could improve compliance and enforcement of safety standards and regulations in the electricity sector.\u201d<\/div>\n<div>\u200e<\/div>\n<div>\u200eTo further address challenges in the sector, the communique recommended the creation of an Electricity Safety Fund and a Safety Fund Management System to support agencies like the NPF and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), which are responsible for enforcing electricity safety laws.<\/div>\n<div>\u200e<\/div>\n<div>\u200eThe stakeholders also advocated for legislative and executive support at all levels of government for the National Safe Electricity Installation Empowerment Programme, an initiative launched by APPA.<\/div>\n<div>\u200e<\/div>\n<div>\u200eThey proposed the establishment of a dedicated Safe Electricity Installers Empowerment Fund, to be appropriated annually by the National Assembly.<\/div>\n<div>\u200e<\/div>\n<div>\u200eOn procurement issues, participants condemned what they described as the \u201cunlawful imposition of administrative fees and charges by Ministries, Departments and Agencies in procurement contract award processes.\u201d<\/div>\n<div>\u200e<\/div>\n<div>\u200eThey argued that such practices increase costs for contractors and discourage compliance with safety standards.<\/div>\n<div>\u200e<\/div>\n<div>\u200eThey further urged law enforcement agencies, MDAs&#8217; procurement units, anti-corruption bodies, and National Assembly committees to urgently review contract award and execution processes to align them with national development priorities.<\/div>\n<div>\u200e<\/div>\n<div>\u200eThe communique also applauded APPA\u2019s unveiling of the NESI Safety Portal\u2014a digital platform designed to promote electricity safety awareness and compliance. Participants encouraged NESI stakeholders to adopt the portal for advocacy and real-time information sharing.<\/div>\n<div>\u200e<\/div>\n<div>\u200eThe workshop called on the Federal Ministry of Power and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to closely monitor Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operational Expenditure (OPEX) policies administered by licensed electricity distribution companies to prevent the diversion of funds meant to upgrade infrastructure and improve safety.<\/div>\n<div>\u200e<\/div>\n<div>\u200eThe participants resolved to activate an Electricity Safety Support Committee, which will work with agencies such as NEMSA, NOA, SON, NSCDC, ALGON, and APPA to promote grassroots enlightenment and drive a culture of safety in Nigeria\u2019s electricity supply industry.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By \u200eDaniel Adaji \u200e \u200eStakeholders in Nigeria\u2019s electricity sector have called on the Federal Government to establish an investigative panel to probe public servants and political appointees allegedly influencing the&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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