PowerUp Nigeria,an advocacy group in the power sector,has raised alarm over ploy to exclude indigenous meter manufacturers for the supply of 1.2million meters through the World Bank Loan.
Adetayo Adegbemle,Executive Director of the group,in a statement said the request for the loan bid has raised several questions after his recent review of the content of the proposal
According to him,from the Request for Bid,there are five lots in all, and each of the lots are asked to raise/submit bid security in US Dollars
“For instance, anyone applying for Lot 4 is to raise a bid security of $450, 000.Then when you interrogate the capacity of our local manufacturers, you want to How many of the Local Manufacturers can easily scale this?”
Adegbemle,who raised questions on the profitability of the business and the intent of the idea,said local manufacturers are struggling to survive, even those that are patronized for the National Mass Metering Programmeare still being owed.
“It must be stated that We have had this kind of World Bank Loan with similar conditions before(2012) However, none of the Imported Meters procured under that scheme are presently still in the system.
“Again, this is a World Bank Loan, that we are definitely repaying. It is therefore imperative that we also use this to deepen out local manufacturers capacity.
“PowerUp Nigeria, being at the forefront of the advocacy for Local Meter Manufacturers patronage, and development of Local Meter Manufacturing Capacity, It is our belief that this particular provision is counter productive, and should be reviewed downwards, as ultimately, it is the consumers that continues to bear the brunts”
