The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) board has advised the general public to disregard reports insinuating that the board was making spirited attempts to make hurried appointments ahead of May 29 for a promised seamless handover by the present administration. This was contained in a statement signed by Mr Yakubu Lawal, General Manager, Communications and Public Relations of the company.

Lawal in the statement said that the board drew the attention of the public to an editorial commentary in one of the National Dailies (Leadership newspaper) of 24th April 2015 insinuating that the board of directors of NDPHC was making spirited attempts to make some hurried appointments ahead of May 29th.

He said that it is instructive for the records to be straightened so that discerning members of the public will not be swayed by the apparent falsehood and inaccuracy of such news reporting intended to cast aspersions on the integrity, credibility and competence of the chairman and members of the board of the NDPHC over the exercise of its statutory functions.

According to him, it is no gainsaying the fact that the Board of Directors of NDPHC, owners of the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) has positioned the company to effectively pursue its Phase II project mandate aimed at implementing more hydropower stations and transmission projects in the country to give the power sector infrastructure a more robust synergy.

It be will recalled that at its recent meeting in Abuja, the board approved the implementation of a new structure proposed at the company’s board meeting in August 2014. For the records, NDPHC is a registered limited liability company owned by the three tiers of Nigerian government (Federal, State and Local) with a board (representing its shareholders) as its highest policy and decision making organ that drive the operations of the company.

Lawal said that the board reposes the highest confidence in the sterling qualities of Mr James Abiodun Olotu, the Managing-Director/CEO, as head of the structure and arising from his unparalleled performance through thick and thin under the phase 1 program to lead a new team of seasoned professionals selected from the various geopolitical zones across the country to manage the challenges of the next phase of the NIPP programme and to deliver same on budget and in good time.

“Under the new structure, the company now has four executive directors responsible for Generation, Networks, Finance and Accounts as well as Corporate Services while the office of the Company Secretary and Legal Adviser is also upgraded to director’s status. “These appointments were approved by the Board as one of its statutory powers.

“The tenure of her Directors is dependent on their individual and collective performance as determined by both or either her Board or her shareholders at its Annual General Meetings,” the statement added. Lawal also said that the MD/CEO has therefore been given a clean slate to move the programme forward. As one of the main resolutions of the National Economic Council (NEC) which comprises all the stakeholders at its meeting held in April 2013.

The council approved the second phase of the NIPP projects to include execution of Mambilla hydro power project and 16 identified medium and small hydro power projects. He said that this will create a mix power generation/supply system for the country by balancing the Phase 1 NIPP projects where 10 new thermal power stations located in the southern parts of the country were constructed.