‘Why my electricity boosting technology is yet to take off’

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An Engineer, Kenechukwu Agu has said that he has not been able commence the implementation of the technology that could boost electricity revenue without increasing tariff by electricity distribution companies (Discos), three years after it gained endorsement of the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), due to paucity of funds.

The technology was approved by NERC in 2017 for use. The commission had also gone further to recommend that its pilot project should begin with the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) before it could be replicated to other Discos across the country.

It was expected to provide solution technology to an era of slash in electricity tariff in Nigeria as well as generate employment, stimulate the economy and revamp the power sector by making it more profitable for investment.

Speaking to reporters in Enugu, Agu, who is the Managing Director of Evanpower Engineering Limited, said the project had been delayed by the inability of the Nigeria Breweries Plc to settle debts allegedly owed to him which arose from the maintenance of their access control equipment and his blueprint used in the project at Ama plant in Enugu.

Agu alleged that the brewery company is indebted to him to the tune of over seven hundred and fifty three million naira (N753,000,000) made up of over three million naira for procurement of devices and execution of access control system as well as N750 million for his intellectual property, used for the job without his consent.

“I have made various representations for my money to be paid to me no avail including a meeting with the management of the company in Lagos in 2018 where they promised to escalate the money to Amsterdam. Our blueprint provided solution to the lightening threat to access control system at Ama; it provided the plan and pathway to add on the rest of the new access control equipment. It meant cost savings for the Brewery”, he stated.

Agu insisted that his technology could have saved the country billions of naira lost in power by underpayment and other sharp practices in the sector had it been fully applied, regretting however, that the attitude of NBPlc had stalled the project.

Asked what he had done to recover the money, he stated that he had written the company severally and written the presidency for intervention, stressing that he had equally made an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari.

He added that his lawyer, Prof Agu Gab Agu had last month written to the management of the company, threatening a law suit should they fail to pay the money within the specific period.

Prof Agu’s letter written on February 25 and addressed to the Managing Director of the NBplc, gave graphic details of the business relationship between Agu and the company.

The NBplc however, has denied any indebtedness to Agu or his firm.

Responding to the letter from Prof Agu Gab Agu, the Legal Manager, Operations of the Brewery Company, Chidubem Aguguo, said the claim of over N753 million was without merit, adding that the company entirely rejects same.

“We reiterate that at no time did we commit to pay your client for any document (whether quotation, bill of quantities, blue print or any other document whatsoever) provided by it in respect of the reactivation of the access control system at our Ama Brewery. Moreover, your client was paid in full for all the work it did for us, including the materials it supplied for the project. Thus, we are not in any way indebted to your client. Consequently, we deny any liability to your client and in the same vein reject its claim in its entirety”, Aguguo wrote.