The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, on Friday expressed disappointment with the conduct of contractors handling works at Abia sub-transmission station.
The minister, who bared his mind during an inspection of the station at Ohia, Abia, said that the second transformer had not been functioning for over six months after the station was inaugurated for use.
The station presently supplies 32 instead of 64 mega watts installed capacity.
Maku and other members of the Good Governance team, expressed dismay at the state of facilities in the power transmission station.
Maku specifically queried the absence of a contractor, Valence Nigeria Limited, to clarify issues relating to the poor functioning of the plant.
He said the absence of the contractor at the station was an indication of disrespect to constituted authorities in the state.
The minister said the Good Governance team would make appropriate report to government for actions to be taken against the contractor.
The state Commissioner for Information, Mr Eze Chikamnaya, said that the ministry had sent several invitation letters to the contractor prior to the visit of the team.
He said the ministry could not understand why the chairman of the company or any of its representatives was absent at the station.
Meanwhile, two residents of Ohia Community told NAN in a separate interview that the completion of the station had improved power supply in the community and Umuahia.
Mr Cornelius Uzor, a trader at the community market, said: “they enjoy uninterrupted power supply for more than 48 hours’’.
According to him, the situation can be improved if the minor problems in the station can be rectified.
Mr Livinus Nwankpa, a resident in the area, said that the situation could not be compared to what the community faced two years ago.
He said that there were many families that stayed without electricity for months and commended government for the project. (NAN)