The Nation Newspaper

Tag: bidders

  • Customs vow to prosecute fraudulent e-auction bidders

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has vowed to arrest and prosecute fraudulent bidders frustrating its e-auction exercise. Speaking in Abuja yesterday, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Customs, Joseph Attah, said the management has taken measures to redesign the online auction platform to make it inaccessible to fraudsters who are discouraging genuine bidders from participating in the process.

    He noted that 43 winners emerged within 48 hours of the first round when bidding opened on July 3. ”Out of this figure, 42 have paid for their bids and began collection at the Ogun State Command where the vehicles are located. But when we started the second round of bidding by 12 noon on July 12 which lasted for 48 hours, 115 vehicles were uploaded on the platform.

    “All were bid for and supposedly won. I used the word supposedly because our experience revealed that some bad elements who are criminally minded have launched on to the platform to bid bogus and unrealistic figures just to spoil it.

    “Where bidding is ongoing for an item with a reserved bid of N300,000 and people are offering N650,000 and all that, you would see someone from nowhere quoting N10m. It is obvious they are jokers who think we are fooling around.

    “Remember the rule is that, in the event the highest bidder cannot pay within five days, the item reverts to the second highest bidder. So what these people have done is to pair themselves up. Where one person bids reasonably, say N500,000, for an item with a reserved bid of N200,000, the other drops an outrageous figure like N8million just to ward off potential bidders. We know the vehicle is not worth half of that amount in the market. This is unfair.

    “So, we are reprogramming the system in such a way that you cannot bid beyond a certain percentage of the reserved bid or what the average bidders are offering. The system will not allow you and once you make such exaggerated bids, the system detects you and using your Tax Identification Number (TIN), you will not participate in future bids of Customs aside the risk of prosecution for the malpractice”.

  • Bidders protest alleged contract manipulation in NPA

    A group of companies that bid for a cargo surveying contract at the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) have cried out over alleged manipulation of the bids.

      It will be recalled that the managements of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) had on November 26, 2016, announced on its websites  for  ‘competent and reputable cargo surveying companies to express interest in cargo surveying services’ at the Delta,  Calabar, Onne, Rivers, Lagos and Tin-Can Island Ports.

     Over 60 companies, some of whom have been involved in the execution of the contracts over the years, also indicated interest in the job.

     However, some of the aggrieved bidders, who spoke under anonymity, are now alleging that a committee set up by the managements of the NPA is in the process of manipulating the bids to favour some companies.

     They also called on the Managing Director of NPA, Hadiza Usman, and the General Manager Procurement, NPA, to wade into the matter and ensure that due process is followed by awarding it to competent and experienced companies.

    Reacting, the General Manager, Procurement, NPA, Dandare Ahmed, confirmed that the committee did meet concerning the contract, but said the meeting was to evaluate some of the bidders and come up with the lists of successful ones.

    “It’s true the committee has been meeting in a hotel to deliberate on the bids, but the meeting was to evaluate the bidders. It is the practice of the Procurement department to always use hotel for such evaluations because of the volume of work involved.”

  • ‘Shun politics of highest bidders’

    Former Oyo State People Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant Mr Olufemi Babalola has urged Nigerians to shun politics of the highest bidder for the country to move forward.

    He urged professionals to get involved in politics to push the bad politicians out and pave the way for the right people.

    Babalola, who was the guest speaker at the 50th anniversary lecture of the Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan spoke on the theme: “Population, Power and politics: Necessary Tools for Development.”

    According to him, Nigeria politics must be capable of throwing up the right leaders if the right people get involved in politics.

    He identified population as one of the tools of development, urging government to control its growth.

    Babalola said: “Nigerians can help themselves to this utopia by shunning politics of the highest bidders. But it takes an enlightened population to achieve such feat.

    “Politics throw up leaders who exercise power. Hence, our politics must be capable to throw up the right leaders. Politics will drive development if we have at the helms of affairs people who can predict future because they have taken time to study the trend in the past and the present, people who will not mind sacrificing their personal comfort for the wellbeing of the nation, people whose focus is building the legacy not festering their own nest,” he said.

    Commending the achievements of the management of the School of Nursing, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Issaac Adewole, who was represented by the Deputy Chancellor Administration, Professor Emilolorun Ayelari, and the Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital(UCH), Professor Temitope Alonge said the principle set by the funding fathers of the institution in 1952 is still in place till date.

  • The eight top bidders

    Feniks Electricity (Ughelli), an Israeli registered company. It is into energy, real estate, media and hotels;

    •IPP Energy Limited from Canada and Nigeria Power engineering; Plethora Gas & Power Limited Nigeria Power and Gas, Israel Electric Corporation, Israel Power generation, distribution & transmission, Atlantic Projects Company Inc USA & Ireland

    •Transcorp and Wood Rock/ Symbion/ Medea/ Thomasen PSL Power (Ughelli), includes Transnational Corporation of Nigeria PLC (Transcorp), a Nigerian diversified conglomerate quoted on the Nigeria Stock Exchange with strategic investments and core interests in energy, hospitality and agri-business sectors.

    •Symbion Power LLC USA into electricity infrastructure construction, specialising in turn-key electric power systems. Medea Development S.A. Luxemburg, which is into engineering and projects development services for oil and gas and power companies. PSL Engineering and Control Nigeria an engineering and systems control company for various sectors, including power, oil and gas and manufacturing.

    •Thomassen Services and Contracting Company is into engineering, procurement and construction of power plants.

    Amperion ( Ughelli and Geregu), Forte Oil Plc Nigeria and BSG Power Limited.

    •Guernsey BSG Power Limited, a subsidiary of BSG Resources Limited, is an investment firm in power and renewable energy projects. Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Company Limited/ SGCC of China, is into electric power generation, transmission and distribution, electricity sales, power grid planning and construction.

    •CMEC/Eurafric Energy (Sapele). China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) is the Chinese company, which is building the Phase 2 of Omotosho Power Plant. It is into Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC), operations and maintenance, contract services, mining, power, real estate and international trade. Eurafric Energy Limited is a Nigerian EPC contractor in power transmission and distribution projects, oil and gas development and aviation. British Power International of United Kingdom is into power sector consultancy and technical advisory services. First Bank Plc, which is part of the consortium, is a leading Nigerian bank that is into project financing and corporate and commercial banking. Aelex Solicitors and Arbitrators is a Nigerian company that is into legal advisory services, especially energy.

    •JBN-Nestoil Power Services L imited (Sapele). Nestoil Plc is a Nigerian energy and associated infrastructure engineering and services provider owned by Mr. Ernest Azudialu. The company bidded through its subsidiary, Century Power Generation. Julius Berger Investment Limited, a German company, is also part of the consortium, is a construction and engineering company. Babcock Borsig Steinmuller (BBS) of Germany is a power generation EPC firm. Steag Energy Services of Germany owns and operates a power plant as an independent power producer. Quantum Power of Israel is also a power generation plant owner and operator. Harith Fund is a South African investment fund organisation.

    •Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited (Kainji) includes RusHydro International and RusHydro JSC from Russian Federation. It is Hydro-power generation company. Other owners of the consortium include Col. Sani Bello, a Nigerian businessman, Amni International Petroleum Development Company Limited, a Nigerian oil and gas exploration and production company owned by Chief Tunde Afolabi NIGELEC, a Nigerien power generation, transmission and distribution company, Paqua Energy Limited, a Nigerian special purpose vehicle (SPV) owned by engineering and technical services firms, Confluence Cable Network Limited, a Nigerian communications firm, Crust Energy Nigeria Power, Oil and Gas, TAK Nigeria Chemical and Fertilizer Trading Company, Anchorage Holdings Nigeria, which is into real estate development, and All Stream Energy Solutions Nigeria, a Kaduna-based energy sector service company.

    •North-South Power Company Limited (Shiroro) owners include XS Energy Limited, a Nigerian electric power generation company, BP Investment Limited, a Nigerian infrastructure investment and civil works firm, Urban Shelter Limited, a Nigerian infrastructure development and management company and Transatlantic Development and Investment Company, a United States’ hydro electric power investment company. Others are: China International Water Electric, which is into construction and management of dams, hydroelectric power stations, China Three Gorges Corporation, an electric power utility company, Niger State Government and Roads Nigeria Plc, a Nigerian construction and civil engineering firm.