By Godwin Oritse

THE uncoordinated warehousing of the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) equipment may stall the December dead line of 6,000 mega watts target of power supply.

The NIPP has suffered a lot of ill fate in recent times as some of the equipment were actually auctioned by the men and officers of the Nigeria Customs Service following its long stay at the ports.

The left over of the equipment are currently being removed from the ports in trickles and taken to various warehouses across the country, a development that may further pose logistics problems.

It was also learnt that the Fast Track Committee set up by the Federal Government to ensure a proper and quick clearance of the equipment from the ports do not have the capacity to do that.

Source close to the told Vanguard that the December deadline is not possible as the Committee lacks the capacity to even clear the equipment from within the shortest possible time.

Speaking Vanguard on the need to ensure that Government’s December target is met, Mr Vincent Kekereogo, a licensed customs agent said that the Committee ought to have warehoused the NIPP equipment in one or two Bonded Terminal facilities.

Kekereogo also suggested that when these equipment are warehoused in one or two of such facilities, a proper documentation process is put in place, then it will easier to trace the movement of the equipment.

He explained that some of the problem encountered by the Committee were that fact the Customs was insisting on the payment of duty on the equipment.

This issue, according Kekereogo dragged on for a long time until these equipment accrued demurrage and auctioned by the Customs.

As a the time of filling this report, some of the equipment are still in the port waiting to be delivered.
Speaking in similar vein, Mr Lucky Amiwero, a freight forwarder and logistics expert said that the Fast Track Committee does not know what to do as it has taken too much time to get these equipment out of the put.

He was of the opinion the NIPP is very key to the economy as virtually need power to stay in business, adding that the epileptic power situation has made some industries to close shop.

He was also of the opinion that the project has failed as it is very obvious that the December target cannot be met going by the fact that some the equipment are still strapped in the port.

Effort to speak with members of the Committee was futile as their phones lines were not going through when this reporter called.