The shutdown of Edo State’s first Independent Power Project (IPP) on September 1 signaled the breakdown of the romance between the Jiangsu Communication Clean Energy Technology (CCETC) and its Nigeria’s partner, Ossiomo Power and Infrastructure Company (OPIC). They are at loggerheads over who owns the Ossiomo Power Plant that generates 95MW of electricity. OSAGIE OTABOR reports on the intrigues and power play.
Mr Kokobi Igbinovia owns several hotels in Benin-City, the Edo State capital. In 2022, he disconnected from the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) due to poor power supply and switched over to the Ossiomo Power and Infrastructure Company (OPIC). Igbinovia described the power supply from Ossiomo as reliable.
However, on September 1 2025, Ossiomo Power was shut down without any form of explanation to its numerous customers. Igbinovia said he has spent a huge amount of money on the purchase of diesel since the shutdown of Ossiomo Power.
Igbinovia is among many electricity consumers waiting for Ossiomo Power to restore electricity to its customers. But they are caught in a web of power play.
In 2018, Governor Godwin Obaseki, former governor of the state, made a move to break the monopoly of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) in power distribution in Edo State due to public complaints concerning epileptic power supply. At that time, the BEDC had the sole licence to distribute electricity in the entire state.
Obaseki entered a willing-buyer-willing seller agreement as encouragement for the Ossiomo Power Company to begin construction of a 55MW Independent Power Plant in Ologbo.
Ossiomo Powers, owned by Uwagboe Igiehon, turned to the Jiangsu Communication Clean Energy Technology (CCETC) for funding and installation of the power plant. The two firms entered a joint venture agreement and the CCETC Ossiomo Power Company (COPC) was registered. The power plant was completed in 2019, and the first 5MW was delivered in June of that year.
The Edo State Government was to purchase the first 5MW, but the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) refused Ossiomo to use its facility for electricity distribution.
To overcome the BEDC hurdles, Governor Obaseki imported equipment for the construction of transmission lines and the building of a substation to deliver the power from Ologbo to Benin City.
“The first 5MW would be delivered to light up government offices and street lights within the Sapele Road corridor of Benin-City.
“The ordinary Edo people will benefit from this power arrangement because there is an arrangement to drop power in certain processing centres where artisans can move into and do their businesses with the assurance of a steady power supply,” Obaseki said.
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It was gathered that the Edo State Government under Obaseki paid N500 million monthly for the power Ossiomio supplied to its 11kva substation. The power was extended to all government agencies, including some Federal Government institutions.
Several private individuals, hotels and institutions connected to the Ossiomo Power through the 11kva. Besides the 11kVA, Ossiomo Power extended electricity through another 33kVA line.
A silent, controversial issue was, however, the shares of Edo State in the Ossiomo Power Plant.
Problems were said to begin for Ossiomo Power when, upon assumption of duty, Governor Monday Okpebholo discovered that Edo State had no supposed five per cent shares in Ossiomo Power but was committing monthly payment.
He rejected the N500 million monthly bills and asked all federal agencies to be disconnected from the 11kva line, as well as the Edo State Government House. Other government buildings, the streetlights, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Edo Specialist Hospital, health centres and others were left on the line, and the government’s wage bill on electricity was reduced to less than N200 million monthly, even as it paid additional N48 million monthly to the BEDC.
On September 1, the Chinese partners shut down the power supply and customers of Ossiomo Power were plunged into darkness. Sources said the CCETC’s action was backed by some powerful interests.
Five days after the blackout from Ossiomo Power without any information or explanation, the Edo State Government denied being the cause of the blackout, saying it was an internal squabble between two business partners.
It said it had no shares in the firm and reconnected its 11kva transformer to the BEDC. It held a stakeholders’ meeting with Ossiomo customers connected through the 11kva line and explained why they need to move to the BEDC. Over 115 Ossiomo customers indicated interest in reconnecting to the BEDC.
Explaining why it shut down the firm, the CCETC said its Nigerian partner, Ossiomo Power and Infrastructure Company, owned by Dr Uwa Igiehon, violated its joint venture agreement, which metamorphosed into the CCETC Ossiomo Power Company Limited (COPC), which was registered in 2018.
A Director of CCETC, who identified himself as Mr Wi, said the share equity was 25 per cent for Dr Uwa and 75 per cent for CCETC. The Director stated that the agreement was that monies paid by subscribers be paid into the COPC account as contained in the Joint Venture Agreement. He said monies were rather paid into the Ossiomo E-Technology account, another company registered by Dr Uwa.
“We came to Edo State in 2018, and we signed the joint venture agreement with the local partner, Ossiomo Power and Infrastructure. The equity was 25 per cent and 75 per cent. The 25 per cent is from Ossiomo Power and Infrastructure, and its equity is for the land and licences. They did not bring any money.
“All the $20 million investment, including the distribution lines, was carried out by us. The distribution lines were built by COPC, but the loan is from CCETC. From the start of operation, they have not paid the loan and the interest. COPC paid some interest but could not cover the loan.
“Our partner, Dr Uwa, connected some customers along our 33kva lines and the customers paid to the account of Ossiomo E-Technology Company and not to the COPC account. The E-technology is from Ossiomo Power and Infrastructure Company. COPC paid the gas fee, and the power fee did not come to the COPC account.
“The customers did not pay into the COPC account. The E-Tech Company will collect N100 million and pay N50 million into the COPC account. COPC is generating all the power but has no agreement with the customers using the power. The customers did not pay into the COPC account, which is wrong. We requested the local shareholder to transfer all the customers to the COPC and change the account for collecting payments to the COPC.
“The instruction to shut down was because we were losing a lot of money and did not get any return on investment. We did not collect enough payment from the customers, and the power was already going to the customers. We do not know the customers using our power, because they were not cooperating with us,” he said.
In the interest of the Edo State Government, Mr Wi said the state government brought nothing.
“The Edo State Government did not pay anything. They are our customers because we supply power to them. It is no problem for our customers to go back to the BEDC. This issue did not emanate from the customers. It is an internal issue. We didn’t want to shut down the power plant, but I do not know where the power we generate goes. I don’t know the customers. They only listen to Dr Uwa, and Dr Uwa tells everybody that it is his power plant. I cannot verify the customers to know how many kilowatts they have used already.
“Uwa did not invest cash. It is a 100 per cent investment by the CCETC. Under the Joint Venture agreement, Ossiomo Power and Infrastructure Company is a shareholder of COPC with 25 per cent. We have lost a lot of money. We generate over four million kilowatts per month, but we collect payment for less than two million kilowatts.
“The Edo State Government has not made full payment. The Ologbo Community is using our power without paying for it. The outstanding debt owed to us by the state government is over N1.4 billion. The community was connected by Dr Uwa. We don’t have any agreement with the community and other customers who are connected to Dr Uwa. I don’t know the communities that use the power that we generate. How do we generate over four million without enough payment?” Wi said.
However, the management of Ossiomo Powers said its Chinese partners were not co-owners of the power firm but its contractor.
The Deputy General Manager of the company, Francis Ekwe, insisted that Ossiomo Power remained the sole owner of the power-generating plant, the transmission network and associated gas infrastructure tied to the project at Ologbo in Edo State.
Ekwe said the contract executed by the CCETC in 2018 for the supply and installation of engines for the Independent Power Project (IPP1) does not transfer or confer ownership of any facilities to the Chinese.
Ekwe said Ossiomo Power held exclusive rights to the gas infrastructure and power facilities since 2008 and backed by statutory licences as well as approvals for power generation and transmission within Edo State.
He noted that recent moves by CCETC to assert ownership might be aimed at influencing state authorities and creating uncertainty around the operations of Ossiomo Power. He warned that any attempt to sideline an indigenous operator in favour of a foreign contractor could undermine Nigeria’s local content policy and pose risks to energy security in Edo State.
In its bid to assert independence of the Chinese partner, Ossiomo Power bought four turbines and invited Pakistani Engineers. One of the turbines has started operation, and electricity has been restored to some customers on the 33kVA lines.
At a meeting with its stakeholders recently, a representative of Ossiomo Power, Festus Evbuomwan, assured that other customers on the 33kva lines would get electricity within 10 days, but urged that customers on the 11kva lines of the state government would not get power.
“I think it is the duty of every government to encourage the Nigerian citizens to invest and not to work against local investors.
“What we’re trying to do is to clear the bias this government has towards us, with the belief that Obaseki has shares in Ossiomo. I want to make it clear that Obaseki has no dime in Ossiomo. So, they should do business with us.
“We have purchased turbines, and one has started working; they are fixing the second one. So, by the time our five turbines start working, we will be at full capacity,” Evbuomwan said.
Evbuomwan also dismissed claims of the CCETC, saying it has received over N2 billion in payments.
He said the Nigerian partner was not aware of any $20 million loan from the Chinese government.
Evbuomwan further explained that former Governor Obaseki showed goodwill to support the power firm by constructing the 11kva and the distribution lines through which it extended electricity to whomever it deemed fit.
“The Chinese partner also claimed that they borrowed $20 million from their native land to invest. We are not aware of such investment and we do not know where the money was invested until now.
“They have also been saying that they have not been receiving anything. First, the partners run a joint account where their investment is going.
“The Chinese partners have received over N2 billion so far for the power they generate with their machines. When they generate the power, we sell and pay them.
“A day after they brought a written request for N185 million to pay two Chinese who are not even in Edo State and N18 million to pay the Nigerian members of staff, they shut down the plant. But, this was opposed. So, we do not know at what point they sold power to us and we did not pay,” he said.
Access to electricity by some subscribers of Ossiomo Power, such as the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), is now dependent on Governor Okpebholo’s approval of the use of the 11kVA lines.
Moreover, Mr. Kokobi Igbinovia and other subscribers have said they do not trust the BEDC on adequate power supply. They have said they would remain with the Ossiomo Power.
