The Bureau of Public Procurement BPP has in the last hour issued a certificate of no objection for the twenty three million dollars contract awarded to Manitoba Hydro to manage the transmission company for the next three years BusinessDay can exclusively report.

The certificate was issued by the BPP director general Emeka Eze following directives by president Goodluck Jonathan.

The boss of BPP had mounted a last ditch effort to undermine the contract by seeking to review it's scope and also reduce the value by $470,000 per annul but that failed.

The certification is bound to calm nerves in the investor community which became frayed after word leaked that the president had cancelled the TCN contract.

eGuerrilla: The voices of reason prevail - small win!

Gbawe:

Indeed. All those who went to town with the "due process" charade can now see that they were led down the garden path. Once Canada, World bank et al made it crystal clear to Nigeria that there will be serious repercussions to dishonorable conduct, the "due process" ruse quickly disappeared.

Sad Nigeria is run in this adhoc manner where our leaders shamelessly embrace open 419 tactics only for treats of sanction to be the only thing that makes them revise their crude and totally unethical behavior. Where is the silly "due process" argument now? Silly bunch of disgraceful 419ners.

Mowire: @Wesley, so what aspect of "due-process" was flouted & in what way was it remedied?

But presidency sources said the president based his decision to cancel the contract on a memo sent by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), which for several weeks, had been pushing for its cancellation on the premise that did it not pass through due process as provided under the Public Procurement Act. The Director General of the BPP, Emeka Eze, THISDAY learnt, was said to have kicked against the appointment of Manitoba because a few material irregularities had been noticed in the process that led to the company's selection. “It is better to correct these irregularities now to save the future of the management contract, than to have one that could run into hitches. Moreover, a stitch in time, saves nine,” said one official with the presidency. He said Eze, in his memo, had informed the president that a management contract was distinct from a privatisation transaction or concession, and since the procurement of all Federal Government contracts, including those covering professional services are covered by the Public Procurement Act, the BPP should not have superintended the selection process. The source said the BPP DG picked holes in the contract, querying why the designated managing director was 57 years old, which he felt was too old, insisting that the contract be cancelled because the BPE had misled the NCP by procuring the management contractor. Eze was also said to have insisted that if the BPP had overseen the procurement of the contractor, it is the Federal Executive Council (FEC) that should have approved the selection of Manitoba based on the BPP’s recommendation. Eze’s position, THISDAY learnt, was backed by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), who declared the contract null and void when his opinion was sought.

Pressure from the international community, especially the Canadian government, as well as from preferred bidders for the electricity generation companies forced the presidency to reverse itself on the cancellation of the $23 million transmission management contract awarded to Canadian firm Manitoba Hydro International, LEADERSHIP findings have revealed.

It was learnt that the Canadian ambassador to Nigeria had discussions with the minister of finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Vice President Namadi Sambo as well as President Goodluck Jonathan at separate meetings where he was said to have expressed his country’s displeasure over the development.

Although details of the meetings could not be obtained, sources within the presidency told LEADERSHIP that the Canadian ambassador told President Jonathan that the Canadian government was unhappy with the issue and may be reluctant in supporting Nigeria in other sectors due to the way Manitoba has been treated.

It was also gathered that Atedo Peterside, who is the chairman, Technical Committee on Privatisation, and member of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), similarly advised the president against the decision.

According to the source, Peterside expressed concern that if Manitoba’s contract was cancelled, it meant all efforts that had so far been put into the privatisation process would have been in vain.

It was further learnt that the preferred bidders for the generation companies who didn’t want the privatisation process to be jeopardised also worked from the background to mount pressure on the presidency.

‘’Winners of the distribution companies would be kept on tarry-a-while if we allowed them to cancel Manitoba’s contract. Because when will they do another procurement for transmission management? People will advise you not to even put your money down because you do not know who will manage the transmission,’’ a source told LEADERSHIP. ‘’We told them that we will not go ahead with making bid payments if they cancel Manitoba’s contract because we do not know who will transmit the power we will generate. “

Lamenting the whole drama over Manitoba’s contract cancellation and reinstatement, the presidential source who did not want to be named because of the nature of the matter alleged that the presidency acted based on hearsay.

He explained that Manitoba was shortlisted in 2007 and given the contract in 2012 but people are now saying the process was manoeuvred just to run down the director-general, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Bola Onagoruwa, thinking she was the one who arranged for Manitoba to emerge winner, whereas she inherited the process.

‘’When in 2006 the contract management of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) was advertised, nobody took it seriously. Nigerians were mocking us, saying the privatisation would not work.

The source told LEADERSHIP that some powerful Nigerians are behind the Power-grid Corporation of India and are trying to frustrate the whole process. ‘’They are the ones behind the whole conspiracy,’’ he said.

Mowire: Would be nice if can quote relevant aspect of the said report here (@least for info) & what new manitoba did to get certified now.
As for president's response: I did not watch it.
So pls educate me. Seriously.

eGuerrilla:

@Mowire, I won't hold my breath if I were you

Mowire: OK so you already answered b4 I asked. Let me read ur answer.

olivertwist: Comedy unlimited

Mowire: OK @wesley thanks for the help. Now I know the MASSIVE "MATERIAL" IRREGULARITIES.
How 'bout how the irregularities have been corrected?

Gbawe:

Absolutely. Not even a point worth discussing if we are, to begin with, a Nation of politically sophisticated folks. When did Manitoba correct the supposed "due process" they allegedly breached to now enjoy this renewed confidence from the Nigerian FG ? Are we not ashamed as a Nation?

Sensible folks can only come to one conclusion. After all the fake "due process" gra gra, the 419 Nigerian government has now embraced this unconditional climb down, with Manitoba on an even stronger footing, because many rose in unison to call the bluff of those entrusted with much power yet insist on acting like common, myopic and pettily greedy fraudsters.

Nigeria currently has its citizens bastardized beyond normality. Many Nigerians no longer even know when to be honest, embarrassed or even truthful any more. Such is the extent to which our mentality is now warped.

wesley80:

Its a terminal contract you slowpoke!, it would be up in less than 3years and guess who'd still be in power then?

seanet01: Are you not ashamed? The same BPE that was pushing for the cancellation of the contract due to some irregularities is now forced by the Presidency to issue Certification to the same company the President accepted did not follow due process just because some foreign countries pressurized our President.
1. BPE declared that due process was not followed.
2. Mr. President accepted BPE's assertion and order his Media Assistant to issue a Press Release announcing the Cancellation of the Contract,
3. Mr. President said it live within the last 48 hours that the contract did not follow due process. Media chat.
4. Canada pressurized our President not to cancel the Contract.
5. Our President issues a directive to BPE to re-certify the company he has declared as having won a contract through the back door just within 48 hours after scolding them on National Television.
Fact is Our President is clueless. Simple.

mosun_ade: The red eyed Gbawe looses face once again. Looses his stipends as well.

LOL. Watch him in two days time scrounging the internet for something else to cry about. Searching for loopholes in anything GEJ, accusing him of corruption and speaks too many words to make a single point.

mosun_ade: The red eyed Gbawe looses face once again. Looses his stipends as well.

LOL. Watch him in two days time scrounging the internet for something else to cry about. Searching for loopholes in anything GEJ, accusing him of corruption and speaks too many words to make a single point.

seanet01: Are you not ashamed? The same BPE that was pushing for the cancellation of the contract due to some irregularities is now forced by the Presidency to issue Certification to the same company the President accepted did not follow due process just because some foreign countries pressurized our President.
1. BPE declared that due process was not followed.
2. Mr. President accepted BPE's assertion and order his Media Assistant to issue a Press Release announcing the Cancellation of the Contract,
3. Mr. President said it live within the last 48 hours that the contract did not follow due process. Media chat.
4. Canada pressurized our President not to cancel the Contract.
5. Our President issues a directive to BPE to re-certify the company he has declared as having won a contract through the back door just within 48 hours after scolding them on National Television.
Fact is Our President is clueless. Simple.

seanet01: Are you not ashamed? The same BPE that was pushing for the cancellation of the contract due to some irregularities is now forced by the Presidency to issue Certification to the same company the President accepted did not follow due process just because some foreign countries pressurized our President.
1. BPE declared that due process was not followed.
2. Mr. President accepted BPE's assertion and order his Media Assistant to issue a Press Release announcing the Cancellation of the Contract,
3. Mr. President said it live within the last 48 hours that the contract did not follow due process. Media chat.
4. Canada pressurized our President not to cancel the Contract.
5. Our President issues a directive to BPE to re-certify the company he has declared as having won a contract through the back door just within 48 hours after scolding them on National Television.
Fact is Our President is clueless. Simple.

taharqa:

Just SHUT your mouth if you do not know what the hell you are talking about. Quite commenting on things way over your head aka Privatizaion/Power Reform program.

#honestAdvice

oshyno:

And u think the anomaly cud not be corrected withing 2days ? Jeeeezz What formed ur opinion dat it was out of international pressure.ur just like all these speculative journalist with their " an inside source said ".

seanet01: Are you not ashamed? The same BPE that was pushing for the cancellation of the contract due to some irregularities is now forced by the Presidency to issue Certification to the same company the President accepted did not follow due process just because some foreign countries pressurized our President.
1. BPE declared that due process was not followed.
2. Mr. President accepted BPE's assertion and order his Media Assistant to issue a Press Release announcing the Cancellation of the Contract,
3. Mr. President said it live within the last 48 hours that the contract did not follow due process. Media chat.
4. Canada pressurized our President not to cancel the Contract.
5. Our President issues a directive to BPE to re-certify the company he has declared as having won a contract through the back door just within 48 hours after scolding them on National Television.
Fact is Our President is clueless. Simple.