Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has disclosed how it intervened in 2024 to prevent a contractor mobilized by the Ministry of Power from executing a contract using fake and substandard transmission lines, a move that could have posed serious risks to national infrastructure and public safety.
The revelation was made yesterday, when Engineer Olusegun Adesayo, Managing Director/CEO of the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency, MEMSA, paid a courtesy visit to EFCC headquarters in Abuja.
According to EFCC Chairman Mr. Ola Olukoyede, the Commission investigated the contractor and confirmed that the imported transmission lines were substandard and unsafe.
He explained: “In 2024, we had cause to write to the Ministry of Power to blacklist a contractor when we investigated and confirmed that he imported fake and substandard power transmission lines for the execution of a contract given to him. This intervention saved the nation potential disaster and possible loss of lives and valuables.”
Olukoyede further emphasized EFCC’s commitment to ensuring compliance across the electricity sector, noting that the Commission’s mandate extends beyond financial crimes to include economic sabotage.
“We believe that we can work together to improve electricity supply in Nigeria and to ensure that all key stakeholders in the industry play according to the rules and laws guiding the industry,” he said.
The EFCC boss also called on MEMSA to prioritize procurement oversight and contract fraud, assuring that the Commission possesses the necessary expertise to support the Agency in these areas.
For his part, Adesayo said the visit was aimed at forging collaboration with the EFCC to safeguard safety standards in the power industry, promote transparency, and enforce technical regulations.
“We recognize that effective regulation and anti-corruption enforcement is very important. Therefore, we want a coordinated effort to safeguard all our public infrastructure and natural resources,” he said.
Adesayo highlighted areas for collaboration, including intelligence sharing, procurement monitoring, investigation of substandard electrical materials, contract abuses, regulatory compliance, public sensitization, and capacity building.
He also pledged ongoing reforms within MEMSA to strengthen internal controls and align with the federal government’s anti-corruption agenda.
