Melaye drags Manitoba to EFCC over alleged N13.8bn fraud

Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West Senatorial District, on the platform of ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has dragged Manitoba Hydro International Nigeria Ltd, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over alleged diversion of N13.8 billion and abuse of Public Procurement Act. Dino Melaye Dino Melaye In a petition, dated July 28, 2016, submitted to the EFCC, weekend, and received by the agency’s Head of Media and Public Affairs, Osita Nwajah, the senator accused Manitoba Hydro International Nigeria Ltd of diversion of funds, economic sabotage, criminal violation and abuse of Public Procurement Act. Melaye, through his organisation, Anti-Corruption Network, which he founded to assist in fighting corruption in the country, said his petition against the foreign company was borne out of objectives of the organisation’s desire to ensure that economic and financial crimes in the country were not only duly investigated but also prosecuted. In the petition to the anti-graft agency, Melaye, who is the Director of the anti-crime organisation, said investigations carried out uncovered several economic and financial crimes committed by Manitoba Hydro International Nigeria Ltd and also violations of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, maladministration in governance and outright disregard of best practices in the TCN by the company. The senator, who appealed to the EFCC to cause an investigation into the activities of Manitoba Hydro International Nigeria Ltd and prosecute all offences with particular attention to market fund and operations, pursuant to Section 5 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, accused Manitoba of fraudulently diverting funds in 2015, meant for trace maintenance. He also accused the company of involvement in splitting of contract to avoid the TCN Tenders Board and Ministerial Tenders Board ‘“as observed in the contract of repairs of telecommunications equipment and power stations:330kv substations (S1 and and S2) which amounts to N247,061,796 and N248,859,350.00 respectively.” “The award of contract verbatim at the cost of N893,000,000.00 for the repair of telecommunications equipment and remote terminal units associated with PHCN (legacy) power stations and TCN 330kv substations to various sums which were paid for, but never executed. ‘“Failure by the company to ensure probity, accountability and transparency in the management of TCN, as no audit has been conducted on the accounts of TCN since assumption of management by the company. ‘’This is in contravention of the terms of contract signed between the company and the Bureau of Public Enterprise and this has no doubt led to many irregularities in the market operations sector, “he said. Melaye called on the EFCC to advise the government to debar Manitoba for the several contraventions of provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, while acting as managers of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN.