The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) has dismissed an online media report that said it approved the construction of a clubhouse in the sum of N480 million, describing the claim as sensational and aimed at damaging the reputation of its management.
NDPHC’s position is contained in a statement signed by the company’s Media Adviser, Mr Adesanya Adejokun, and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, also dismissing claims of last minute N6 billion contract awards.
The statement noted that the company is a law-abiding organisation with high regard for strict compliance with due process.
According to the statement, most of the procurement items on the agenda cited in the online media report “were not approved by the Board but returned for review of scope and cost. For clarity, the Tenders Board did not approve any clubhouse in the sum of N480 million as reported or at all.”
It said the company found, in the published story, several false statements and misrepresentations about it, both in content and form, noting that “the article has caused significant harm to the company’s reputation and has the propensity to impugn on the character of the eminent individuals who constitute our Board of Directors and Management.”
“For your information NDPHC is a law-abiding organisation with high regard for strict compliance with due process. Our Tenders Board only approves procurement of goods and services that have undergone all stipulated processes and statutory requirements of the Procurement Act of 2007,” it stated.
Specifically addressing misconceptions in the publication, the statement said “the innuendo of ‘last minute’ is presumptuous (with due respect) for a medium that proclaims, ‘news and views unlimited’, we expected that given the reputation of TheCable, there should be more regard for balancing or caution.”
The company noted that, reporting such sensitive issues without clarification even when the address and phone numbers of NDPHC are always available in public space, is hasty and “not only misleading but clearly prejudicial, given that the body under consideration in this instance is the Tender’s Board of the company and not the Board of Directors as may be inferred from your article.”
Continuing, the statement said “it is worth noting that NDPHC is not an adhoc organization, as stated in your publication. NDPHC is a limited liability company with a perpetual succession. It is owned by the three tiers of government, with tenured management and a board. What could then lead to such haste in awarding the contracts as suggested in your report?
“At the Tender’s Board meeting held on February 23, 2023, on the agenda was a backlog of pending transactions requiring urgent and immediate attention particularly spare parts and maintenance of the power plants that generate and supply electricity to the national grid.”
Citing previous instances of unethical practice by the medium, the statement demanded “a full retraction of the article from your media outlet and a corrigendum issued forthwith. The retraction should be published in the same media platform and in the same prominence as the original article.
“We request that the retraction includes a formal apology and correction of the inaccurate information contained in the original article. We would also like to request that you remove any links or references to the original article from any other platforms, including social media.”
It would be recalled that the online medium in its report dated 4th April, 2023, said the NDPHC had engaged in last minute contract approvals to the tune of over N6 billion.
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