EFCC Foils Contractor’s Attempt To Install Fake Transmission Lines

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has disclosed that the commission intervened in 2024 to prevent a contractor from executing a power project using fake and substandard transmission lines.

Olukoyede made the revelation on Wednesday in Abuja during a courtesy visit by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), Olusegun Adesayo, to the EFCC headquarters.

According to the EFCC chairman, the contractor had already been mobilized by the Ministry of Power when the commission’s investigation uncovered the importation of counterfeit transmission materials. The discovery prompted the EFCC to recommend that the contractor be blacklisted to the ministry.

“In 2024, we had cause to write to the Ministry of Power to blacklist a contractor when we investigated and confirmed that he imported fake and substandard power transmission lines for the execution of a contract given to him,” Olukoyede said, adding that the commission’s intervention averted what could have been a serious national disaster.

He emphasized that the use of substandard transmission lines could have endangered lives and property, and praised the EFCC’s role in safeguarding critical power infrastructure.

Olukoyede assured the NEMSA delegation of the commission’s readiness to collaborate with the agency to strengthen accountability and compliance within the electricity sector. He said that enforcing regulations across the industry would contribute to improved electricity supply nationwide.

“We believe that we can work together to improve electricity supply in Nigeria and to ensure that all key stakeholders in the industry play according to the rules and laws guiding the sector,” he stated. Olukoyede further noted that the EFCC’s mandate extends beyond financial crimes to acts of economic sabotage and urged NEMSA to pay closer attention to procurement processes and contract management to prevent fraud.

The EFCC chairman added that the commission possesses the expertise necessary to assist in investigating procurement and contract-related irregularities.

Earlier, NEMSA’s Managing Director, Olusegun Adesayo, explained that the visit was intended to strengthen collaboration with the EFCC in maintaining safety standards in the electricity industry. He highlighted NEMSA’s responsibility for enforcing technical standards to ensure the safety, reliability, and quality of electrical materials nationwide and called for cooperation in areas such as intelligence sharing, investigation of substandard materials, procurement irregularities, contract abuses, and regulatory enforcement.