Stakeholders Trade Blame Over Seven-Year Delay Of Utorogun Independent Power Project In Delta State

Stakeholders trade blame over the 7-year delay of the Utorogun Power Project, citing high gas costs and lack of transparency as primary hurdles.

By: AXL Media

Published: May 2, 2026, 4:45 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Vanguard News

A Vision Of Community Power Facing Obstruction

The Utorogun Independent Power Project, designed to provide electricity to the Otor-Udu, Otughievwen, and Iwhrekan communities in Delta State, remains a subject of intense controversy seven years after its inception. Conceived to leverage the region's status as a major gas hub, the project was intended to transform local development through uninterrupted power. However, recent public statements from community activists and project administrators reveal a deep divide over why the lights remain off despite significant financial investment.

Activists Demand Anti-Corruption Probe

Prominent local activist Zik Gbemre has formally called for an investigation by law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies into the project's execution. Gbemre alleges that the project, funded by NEPL (formerly NPDC), was plagued by a lack of transparency and poor technical planning. He specifically noted the installation of two gas generators without necessary backup systems and claimed that host communities were misled about the sustainability of the plant. According to Gbemre, the requirement for gas-producing communities to purchase gas at market rates to power their own local infrastructure is a fundamental flaw in the project’s framework.

PGMOU Committee Defends Project Integrity

In a direct rebuttal, Comrade Igho Onobraekpeyan, Secretary of the PGMOU Management Committee, dismissed allegations of failure as "misleading." He provided a detailed financial breakdown, stating that of the ₦1.2 billion in Community Development Support funds received since 2020, approximately ₦900 million was directly utilized for the IPP. Onobraekpeyan argued that the project is an engineering success, noting that technical tests conducted in late 2025 proved the facility could successfully distribute electricity. He characterized the current situation not as a failure of infrastructure, but as a challenge of operational sustainability.