By Emma Amaize
FOR over a year now, Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Victor Ochei, has lived under the burden of an alleged contract scandal, involving the multi-billion Delta State Independent Power Project, IPP, at Oghareki, country home of the former governor of the state, Chief James Ibori in Ethiope West Local Government Area, by Davnotch Nigeria Limited, which he had substantial interest in, until June, this year, when he divested his interest following his election as Mr. Speaker.

When the story broke last year, it was said that Ochei and the governor were allegedly running a financial racket with the project, which is not on ground and that over N20 billion , belonging to tax payers of the state, had gone down the drain with nothing to show for it.

In fact, photographs of the project site at Oghareki were taken to prove that it was not a mere witch-hunting exercise and as if to prove the character of Ochei, then a member of the House of Assembly, beyond doubt, photographs of the palatial mansions he was said to have illegally acquired in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States of America were splashed.

Saturday Vanguard went on a manhunt for Hon Ochei and he took time when he was tracked down in his Asaba office to explain his role in the IPP project, saying that the project was on track and that nothing had gone wrong.

According to him, practically 80 per cent of the project was technical and the remaining 20 per cent, which is what people would see on ground, would be built when the time comes, but what was going on then was the manufacturing of the 2 Nos Rolls Royce Trent gas turbine generators in the United States and the engineering designs.

He showed Saturday Vanguard the various designs and documents concerning the project and payment for the turbines, but, Ochei was jolted, penultimate week, by media reports, (not Vanguard) that he was being probed by the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over a N27 billion contract and the fact that he used his position as chairman of the House Education Committee and a member of the House of Assembly and member of the Power and Energy Committee of the House of Assembly to influence the award of the contract to Davnotch.

Secretary to the Delta State Government, Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay, who was then the Commissioner for Power and Energy, also spoke to Vanguard on the IPP project at that time. He said the governor had not only gone to the manufacturing company to confirm that Davnotch paid for the turbines, he had also sent him as the Commissioner in-charge to visit with other technical partners to monitor the progress of work.

In the words of a flustered Ochei, Tuesday, “I have been thoroughly embarrassed by the unpalatable stories, one of which screamed with a headline, ‘EFCC probes Delta Speaker over N27bn contract’. He said that these were “very unkind and uncharitable words used by persons who are not informed to describe my person”.

Turbine arrives next month

To demonstrate that the contract had not been abandoned, Ochei, who said he would not be disposed to speak on the operations of Davnotch after Tuesday’s interaction with the media as long as he remained the Speaker since he had divested his entire interest, said the first manufactured turbine for the IPP project, MA 580, would arrive the state next month, precisely August 1. He was flanked at the news conference by chairman of the company, Eshio Obada, a retired military officer, deputy speaker, Hon. Basil Ganagana, majority leader, Chief Monday Igbuya, a top member of the House, Hon. Daniel Mayuku and a host of others.

Phony petition

For the avoidance of doubt, however, he said the purported petition, dated April 20, 2010, upon which some newspapers published the damaging news about him in July, this year, was fabricated. He said it was supposed to have emanated from Ekhator, Ekhator and Co Chambers in Abuja, but the letter head and signature of the principal partner of the Chambers, Mr. Douglas Ekhator was forged. He showed newsmen a disclaimer published by Mr. Ekhator in Vanguard and Thisday newspaper. The speaker said that after the Ekhator disclaimer, the faceless petitioners started using a fictitious name, Intelligence Watch, U.K.

Tissues of lies

He said there was no iota of truth in the claim that the contract award to Davnotch Nigeria Limited did not follow due process of contract awards by the Delta State Government, pointing out that the contractual sum of N21, 750, 000, 000 was only reviewed to N23, 207, 826, 566 after a variation was approved on grounds of increased capacity of the gas turbine in May, 2011 and not N27 million as was speculated.

“In fact, the entire process and contract sum were succinctly captured in the Delta State Government, DTSG, Due Process Journal of January-March edition, 2010. Item 15 of the aforementioned document was specific on the nature, sum and expected delivery date of the contract, which states inter alia; “Award of contract for the supply and installation of 2 Nos Rolls Royce Trent gas turbine generators for the Delta State Independent Power plant, IPP on June 23, 2009, to Davnotch Nigeria Limited at the cost of N21, 750, 000, 000”, he said. He showed newsmen the original copy of the signed contract between the company and the state government.

He dismissed the claim of the petitioners that Davnotch was registered in July, 2009, a month after the award of the contract, saying that in their “desperation to execute the hatchet job”, they could not glean the truth of the registration of the company in July 4, 1997, which is 12 years before the contract was awarded.

Ochei also said he did not serve in the power and energy committee as alleged by the petitioners and so, never used his influence as a member of the committee to influence the project to Davnotch, which bid for the job like other companies and was given an opportunity by the state government because of its belief in the local content policy and the company’s pedigree.

Houses abroad

The Speaker said he does not own any property in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom as was claimed, adding, “The only property I own outside Nigeria is in Maryland, USA, an investment property, which was duly declared in my asset declaration form to the Code of Conduct Bureau, as required by law”