OPEN LETTER IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST TO THE GOVERNOR OF DELTA STATE ON CORRUPT PRACTICES AND COLLUSION IN THE MINISTRIES OF ENERGY AND JUSTICE
To:
His Excellency,
Rt. Hon. (Elder) Sheriff .F.O. Oborevwori,
Executive Governor of Delta State.
Your Excellency,
PETITION / REPORT TO HIS EXCELLENCY, THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF DELTA STATE: “Urgent Call for Accountability and Corrective Action on Corrupt Practices in the Ministries of Justice and Energy, and the Risks of a Monopoly in Power Supply”
On behalf of the Young Nigerian Rights Organization, we write with the deepest sense of responsibility and loyalty to Delta State and its people. This petition seeks your urgent attention to the ongoing corrupt practices in the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Energy, and the looming dangers in the implementation of a single-investor end-to-end mini-grid model recently announced after the July 2025 Executive Council meeting.
We commend your administration for its focus on governance and infrastructural development. However, the facts at hand reveal clear negligence, exploitation, and collusion by public officials and private actors that put Delta State at financial, technical, and social risk.
1. The Mini-Grid Monopoly Problem
The announced end-to-end single investor mini-grid model is technically and economically flawed.
• Under this model, one company will generate, transmit/distribute, and collect payments. This constitutes the worst form of monopoly, contrary to global best practices.
• Once licensed, the investor will control tariff rates, and if the Government or citizens resist exploitative charges, they can hold the State hostage by cutting supply, just as the Asaba IPP has done with Government facilities.
• Experience shows tariffs could rise astronomically to ₦300/kWh, far higher than the current ₦209/kWh by BEDC, worsening the burden on citizens and businesses.
2. The Asaba IPP Scandal
• Approved at 8.5 MW capacity, but actual installed efficiency is closer to 6.3 MW, a breach and fraud against the State.
• Government pays average ₦800 million monthly for gas and energy, despite consuming less than 4 MW. This means Delta State pays for unconsumed capacity.
• The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) drafted by the Ministry of Justice lacked sanctions for default, effectively shielding Asaba IPP from accountability.
• Tariffs were manipulated, from ₦23/kWh initially to ₦63/kWh, and later threatened increases, locking the Government into unfavourable terms.
• The extra 10 MW approved under the Senator Ifeanyi Okowa administration to support the masses remains neglected, as private operators prefer to overcharge individuals (₦305/kWh) instead of offering realistic rates.
3. Negligence & Collusion by the Ministries of Justice and Energy
• The Ministry of Justice drafted a rigged PPA that ignored corrections and deliberately left out sanctions, suggesting external influence and compromise.
• The Ministry of Energy is enmeshed in corruption:
• Street light poles, cables, transformers, and generators have been misappropriated during relocation exercises.
• Honest engineers who raised alarms were sidelined, intimidated, and queried.
• Bill 1 allocations for ministry operations have been hijacked by senior officials, leaving staff without basic resources like printing materials for over 7 months.
4. The Danger to the Masses
• If this model is allowed, ordinary Deltans will face unbearable tariffs, poor service, and zero regulatory protection.
• Businesses will collapse under high energy costs, unemployment will rise, and the State’s economy will weaken.
• A 10-year license lock-in means that if this mistake is approved, the suffering of Deltans will last a decade.
5. Our Demands and Recommendations
Your Excellency, we respectfully request that you:
1. Order a full investigation into the Asaba IPP contract, including a forensic audit of installed capacity versus declared capacity, and a review of all PPA amendments.
2. Hold the Ministry of Justice accountable for its negligence in drafting a PPA without sanctions, and probe the roles of officials who tampered with the electricity policy.
3. Suspend approval of the single-investor mini-grid model, and instead adopt the competitive multi-investor model already captured in the State’s draft electricity policy.
4. Establish a strong Delta State Electricity Regulatory Body with powers to vet tariffs, enforce service quality, and sanction defaulting operators.
5. Recover missing Government assets in the Ministry of Energy relocation scandal, and discipline officials found complicit.
6. Protect whistleblowers in the civil service from intimidation, ensuring a culture of integrity and transparency.
7. Revisit the 10 MW Asaba IPP expansion to make it beneficial to businesses and households at fair and competitive rates.
Finally, Your Excellency, the people of Delta State look up to your leadership for protection against exploitation and for the delivery of justice. The current path, if unchecked, risks economic sabotage, public distrust, and prolonged suffering for citizens.
We at the Young Nigerian Rights Organization are ready to support your administration in ensuring that accountability, fairness, and justice prevail.
Respectfully,
Comrade Victor Ojei Popularly called Wong Box Nigeria
Lead Activist,
Young Nigerian Rights Organization (YNRO)
WhatsApp us via +234 803 878 5262
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