Mohammed Shosanya
The Indigenous Contractors Association of Ughelli Power Station in Delta State has threatened a total showdown with the management of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria over the alleged award of contracts by the current Managing Director of the Ughelli Power Station to his cronies.
The contractors conveyed their feelings in a letter addressed to the Group Chairman of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria, Mr. Tony Elumelu, and signed on their behalf by F. U Togbe, Esq.
They stated that they had an agreement with the company to be given the right of first refusal in designated contracts to the exclusion of other vendors.
According to the letter, Transcorp Power Limited, via the Procurement Department, recently invited the contractors to submit bids for painting jobs and interlockings for the facelift of the power station in Ughelli.
After the bids were submitted, the indigenous contractors were informed that the needed brand of paints and scaffold required for the paintings would be supplied by the Transcorp head office in Lagos.
However, the contractors later discovered that the Managing Director (MD), Chief Technical Officer (CTO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Community Liaison Officer (CLO) had indirectly arranged for the supply of the scaffolds through a contractor who is not a member of their association.
According to the letter, “In view of the aforementioned, we will, after seven days from the date of this publication, take matters into our own hands as our patience has been exhausted.
“It is evident that we cannot work harmoniously with the MD/CEO of Transcorp Power Station, Ughelli. With him at the helm of affairs, the power station might face serious issues due to his negative leadership style.”