House Committee Probes Alleged Irregularities In Gas Supply To Gencos

The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating power sector reforms and expenditure from 2006 to 2024 has set up a seven-member sub-committee to conduct a forensic audit of gas supplied to electricity generation companies, known as Gencos.

The decision followed a motion by Harrison Nwadike, who questioned why gas continued to be supplied to the Sapele Power Plant in Delta State despite the facility failing to generate electricity over the past year.

Nwadike said the committee discovered during a recent oversight visit that the plant had received gas supplies without producing power.

Earlier, the chairman of the ad-hoc committee, Rep. Al-Mustapha Aliyu, said there were widespread concerns that Seplat Energy was not supplying sufficient gas to Gencos, allegedly constraining power generation to which
Seplat Energy denied the allegation.

The company’s managing director, Ibiada Itoto, said Seplat remained committed to supporting the federal government’s power sector reform agenda and ensuring the sustainability of the industry.

Seplat’s General Manager for Gas, Olubukola Fasoyin, told lawmakers that the Sapele plant owes the company 20 billion naira for gas supplied.

Despite the explanation, Nwadike alleged that Seplat could be complicit in an economic crime if gas supplied for electricity generation had been diverted over the past year.

Aliyu expressed concern that a company of Seplat’s size allegedly failed to detect any irregularities in the use of gas supplied to power plants.

The newly constituted sub-committee will be chaired by Afam Victor Ogene. Other members include Reps. Kafilat Ogbara, Salisu Magaji, Faud Kayode Laguda and Harrison Nwadike.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji