1. Professor Bart Nnaji, CON, NNOM, FAS, FAEng, has in the last couple of hours been receiving inquiries from people in different parts of the globe about his so-called involvement in Nigerian partisan politics following a baseless claim in an online media report that he has registered with a political party online. Professor Nnaji does not belong to any political party, let alone registering for anyone online. He has no plans of registering with any political party having served Nigeria at the Federal level twice as Minister of Science and Technology and later as Minister of Power and under different administrations.
2. Professor Nnaji is surprised that a politician claimed in the online report that the Federal Government has been coercing him to work with the five Southeastern state governments to provide electricity to them as his Geometric Power has been doing to the nine local government areas in the Aba Ring-fenced Area of Abia State.
3. There is no grain of truth in this allegation and Professor Nnaji unequivocally denies the whole story about his affiliation with any political party in Nigeria. Nnaji’s interest in helping different parts of the country, including his geopolitical zone of the Southeast, to get constant, quality, and affordable electricity is well established. Nnaji does not require the Federal Government to coerce him to work for the development of basic infrastructure in the Southeast or any other geopolitical zone nor does he require to register with any political party whatsoever to achieve that vision.
4. He is proud that Aba Power now supplies electricity to Etche Local Government Area in the Rivers State, and would continue to provide Nigerians with affordable power wherever possible. In 2013, his Geometric Power formed a special purpose vehicle (SPV) with the five Southeast state governments as well as leading Southeast entrepreneurs known as the Eastern Electric Company to bid for the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company during the privatization of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) assets. Although that effort was scuttled, Professor Nnaji was not deterred and has continued to power partner with like-minded investors in developing and building power projects in Nigeria.
5. It is inappropriate for any medium, whether traditional or online, to publish reports of so-called Prof Nnaji’s involvement in partisan politics without endeavoring to speak to him or any of his associates, despite his well-known open-door policy. This door remains open to journalists who want to publish fair, accurate, and balanced reports.
Signed
Edise Ekong, Senior Manager, Brand Media Communications, Aba Power
