BHA Threatens Contractor over Failed Gas turbine

Werenipre Seibarugu, speaker, Bayelsa state House of Assembly has threatened to drag Robo Michael Nigeria Ltd contracting firm to court for breach of contract.

He said the company had failed to complete the N3.520 billion Gas Turbine project after collecting the total contract sum from government.

Seibarugu, said that "going by your presentation, this House has seen that you cannot perform. All what you are saying here shows that you are not a responsible citizen of this state, it’s all a complete mess",

Officials of Robo Michael Nigeria Ltd were led to the panel by its Mrs Eroba Egiriani, managing director.

Seibarugu said that the contractor acquired a refurbished SK 30 MW gas turbine instead of purchasing and installing a brand new Rolls Royce model, RB 211, 31 megawatts contained in the contract agreement.

According to the Speaker, the company’s behaviour amounted to a breach of contract.

He said the state government would not hesitate to prosecute the company as it had taken the benevolence of former governor Goodluck Jonathan’s desire to see Bayelsans enjoy uninterrupted power supply.

"You have to supply the state two gas turbine as contained in the contract document, otherwise the state government will take you to court’, Seibarugu said.

In her presentation, Egiriani told the lawmakers that her company had never handled such a job before, saying the company’s eagerness to do the job made it to accept the contract.

She admitted that the contractual agreement was for the purchase of a Rolls Royce RB 211, 31 megawatts gas turbine, but the company rather proposes to the state government verbally for an SK 30 gas turbine.

It would be faster to manufacture the SK 30 than the RB 211 gas turbine, she said.

The contractor said the company had collected N1.7466 billion 50 per cent of the contract sum in April 2006.

She said the company it went to Aberdeen, Scotland with some officials of the state Ministry of Energy to inspect the equipment.