Two big wigs of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tony Anenih, and Senator Hope Uzodinma, are waging a war of supremacy over a contract awarded by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to dredge Calabar Port.
A consortium headed by Uzodinma won a contentious bid for the N20 billion contract and has begun work. But Anenih, NPA board Chairman, has allegedly vowed that the contract, which was said to have been awarded in error, should be revoked because of alleged technical incompetence of the consortium.
Calabar Channel Management (CCM), which is in charge of the dredging, is a joint venture formed by the NPA and a consortium of seven companies led by Niger Global Technical owned by Uzodinma.
Other members of the consortium are Sendrum International Services, Westminister Dredging and Marine, Boskalis Westminister International of the Netherlands, CCCC Tianjin Dredging Company, Korea Nuclear Industry, and Grunz Link Nigeria.
Uzodinma’s company, Niger Global, had in time past been allegedly blacklisted by the government for alleged contract scam at the NPA.
Commission of enquiry
Investigation showed that the company had previously won a dredging contract using sister companies, which ensured that if one company lost a bid, another was favoured.
This alleged fraudulent bidding led to numerous petitions being written to the Presidency by other bidders and to the Transport Ministry setting up a commission of enquiry to investigate.
It was learnt that after the investigation, a White Paper recommended that some staff of NPA, including general managers, be sanctioned and an audit committee be established to oversee the finances of the NPA.
The White Paper allegedly blacklisted Niger Global. But the company, which allegedly has no dredging experience or dredging vessels, later formed a consortium with the six others to get the latest contract.
Anenih was said to have been sidelined in the contract award, while NPA Managing Director, Habib Abdullahi, is allegedly complicit.
Tongues wagging
Tongues are wagging in the NPA and the Ministry of Transport. Anenih is reportedly angry upon claims that the consortium lacks the technical expertise to dredge Calabar Port.
When the work was flagged off on October 17, 2014, the consortium allegedly rented a dredging vessel from Bonny Channel Company (BCC), another joint venture partner of NPA.
Anenih was absent at the ceremony. Sources close to him said he had instructed that his name should not be printed in the programme.
Both President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President, Namadi Sambo, were also absent.
However, those who attended included Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio; Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke; Transport Minister, Idris Umar; CCM Managing Director, Pieter van Heikken; and NPA board members.
It was learnt that the first agreement for the contract was discarded when Anenih insisted that the consortium was not competent to handle the contract.
But Uzodinma allegedly used his connections to get approval from Aso Rock after entreaties failed to persuade Anenih.
Daniel Kalu of the Youths Earnestly Ask for Abacha (YEAA) fame and promoter of Cleanall Environmental Services, another company said to be having problems with the NPA, explained that “as an entrepreneur, Uzodinma is trying to use the contract to create jobs for Nigerians, but he’s being frustrated by evil people in the NPA.”
Questions raised by Anenih
Nonetheless, Anenih reportedly raised important questions Uzodinma could not answer. They include
• Evidence of similar projects executed.
• Public tender process where companies bid.
• Vetting of bidders by the infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).
• Recommendation by the Ministerial Tender Board to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval.
Aneinh has reportedly insisted that evidence of these processes must be provided before the contact can stand.
However, a source close to Uzodinma said Anenih is angry because he could not swing the contract in favour of his son.
NPA Assistant General Manager (Public Affairs), Musa Iliya, told TheNiche that “all I know is that due process was followed in awarding the contract.”
Asked if there are documents on due diligence conducted on the seven companies that form the consortium, as well as the report of the ICRC, Iliya said he had nothing more to say.
Contract history
In 2003, the government engaged a company called Mobitech to evaluate the contract bid for the channel management of the ports in Warri, Bonny, Calabar, and Lagos.
Mobitech recommended that a joint Venture Agreement (JVA) be established with the NPA and other companies for the dredging of the ports.
The contract for the capital and maintenance dredging of the Lagos Port was awarded to a firm known as Dipasa; Warri Port (Fobi); Bonny (DI / TCMC); and Calabar (Niger Global).
Article 4 of the JVA stated that the contract should include capital and maintenance dredging, maintenance of aids to navigation, hydrographic survey, monitoring, training, and other services.
The JVA recommended that Lagos and Bonny Ports be dredged first after which the capital dredging (only) of Calabar Port would be done by JanDnull and Vanoord.
In 2006, JanDnull and Vanoord completed the capital dredging of Calabar Port, thereby accomplishing the recommendations of Mobitech which evaluated the contract. It now remains the dredging of Warri and Calabar Ports.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) signed the contract for Calabar Channel Management by Niger Global and others in 2003, based on the recommendations of Mobitech.
A consultant, Aims Limited, is currently processing the contract for Warri channel management.
Why Anenih is fighting
It is alleged that JanDnull, which has dredged Calabar Port since 2006, wants to take over the JVA for Calabar capital and maintenance dredging from Niger Global, even without a JVA contract.
If JanDnull wins the contract, it will continue with only capital dredging because it has no JVA for capital and maintenance dredging.
A source disclosed that the budget for Calabar capital and maintenance dredging in 2014 is bigger than the budget for capital dredging only.
Anenih allegedly has an interest in JanDnull, with one A. Akiluyi allegedly fronting for him in the company.
The source alleged that “JanDnull wants to dredge Calabar Port for the last time and wants to achieve this politically through Anenih. But the firm fails to recognise that a JVA has been established, that it is after capital dredging JVA comes up.
“It would have been meaningful if the scope of work in Article 4 of the JVA does not include capital dredging, or if the firm (JanDnull’s) contract preceded the JVA. But Calabar capital and maintenance dredging contract was signed since 2003.
“Any dredging contract for Calabar that did not precede 2003 cannot hold now.
“Again, the 2014 budget has Calabar Channel Management (Uzodinma’s JVA) appropriated, not capital dredging. Before 2014, what used to be appropriated in the budget was capital dredging for Calabar Port, but in 2014 Calabar Channel Management was specifically appropriated in the budget.
“If JanDnull is allowed to take up the project, that budget allocation will only address capital dredging at the expense of other services listed in Article 4 of the JVA.”
But a source in the NPA argued that JanDnull should be allowed to use the 2014 CCM appropriation to dredge Calabar Port in 2015 because 2014 has almost ended and Niger Global may have little or nothing to achieve with the 2014 CCM appropriation.
Since it is a joint venture project between the NPA and Niger Global, Anenih has withheld the release of NPA workers who are supposed to join the JV company in Calabar.
This affects the commencement of work because the funds cannot be released until the disagreement is settled.
Anenih wants JanDNull to collect the funds appropriated for this year.
Abdullahi is on the side of Uzodinma but cannot do anything without Anenih’s consent.
At worst the money will be shared between JanDnull and Niger Global because the year is almost ended.
Based on the foregoing, we also learnt Uzodinma has been striving to broker a deal with Anenih, but the latter has remained adamant.
Uzodinma did not pick his calls when TheNiche contacted him.
Efforts to speak to Anenih yielded no result.
The first day when our reporter called Anenih (who is Peoples Democratic Party Board of Trustees Chairman), someone who claimed to be his aide said Anenih would call back. He never did.
But we learnt that the presidency has intervened in the matter because of the personalities involved.
On Friday, November 14 when the same number was called again, another person who answered said it was a wrong number.