NPA set to minimize power disruption
Since a thorough review of the activities and capability of Freetown 's ailing electricity generating plant, National Power Authority at Kingtom, its management seems determined to cure its epilepsy. In this interview ASMIEU BAH (AB) accosted the General Manager of NPA, DR ZUBAIRU KALOKOH (GM) on a couple of issues regarding their renewed operations and challenges.
Read excerpts:
AB: You were in the Diaspora why are you in Sierra Leone to find job?
GM: I did not come to Sierra Leone to look for job. I came because my father died and I came for the fortieth day ceremony and I am the eldest in my family. I have to come and discuss issues with my brothers and sisters and to try to see how the family can move forward.
AB: So how did your appointment come?
GM: Well my brothers encouraged me to visit the president because Foday Kalokoh who is my brother was very close to him and he was very supportive when our father died. The president has always been supportive of our family. And so I went to say hello to him but as soon as I got there he presented his condolences and said the Kalokohs have been very helpful. He picked up the phone and called the minister and that was it. So I am here, as I said I did not come to look for job.
I have just written a book and 2008 was going to be my biggest year because from the sales of my book I will have many opportunities for training programmes. When I started training the institute of engineers they thought I was a professor. I have never been a professor and I am not a professor but I train high level professionals. I accepted the job because I saw the need to help my country. I understood the President Koroma's ideas and I felt drawn in to them. It was a tough decision for me because my book and all the training I was going to make up to US$ 300,000 or more. I gave up all that to serve my country.
AB: Past General Managers did little in terms of providing electricity for the country especially the capital Freetown what is going to be your own difference?
GM: Well you've all ready seen the difference. I have only been here for four months. First, within these months we have electricity. Second the engineers that operated NPA for the past fifteen years did not repair the power plants at Kingtom. They left a big mess. The engineers also left twenty Le24 billion debts. They did not pay the staff of their salaries; they cut off their NASSIT contributions and their health benefits. They did not buy computers. They ruined NPA now they want to come back because they see I have prepared NPA for success.
The fact of the matter is that there is a big difference between me and the engineers. Engineers are trained as engineers to run machines, they are never trained to be managers, which was why NPA was at the bottom of the ocean. They were not managers but they felt that they were the only qualified and no one else has the right to head NPA. There are many Sierra Leoneans who can run NPA. Let me tell you the real difference now. I came in with a vast experience in the power industry in the US . I have also worked and trained in other countries especially in Africa, Central Europe and Eastern Europe .
AB: Now you've gathered all these experiences outside Sierra Leone but since you took up office have you used your influence in terms of improving NPA?
GM: NPA is going to benefit from all these excellent relationships that I have overseas. First of all I am going to hook up NPA with other utilities in the US , I did that for Ghana . The President of Ghana invited me for power sector reform and I went there and worked with members of parliament to pass a law. They passed the law and then I created the public utility regulatory commission. That commission is the best in Africa .
It is this model that we are going to use here. I established CENDROP and trained the people, I took them to the US to study free of cost. That is why they are the best today and I am going to do that for my country. I am going to expose them to things they've never seen. The people who wanted to run NPA have no global experience.
AB: Dr Zubairu, you have all these big plan and, you are optimistic but when it comes to implementation everybody knows Sierra Leone . In theory, all that you've said is good but when it comes to implementation people see nothing.
GM: My friend let me tell first of all that I do not subscribe to theories. Theories are made for academics not engineers.
AB: You speak like an academic.
GM: Very well, you know why it is because this country is not used to seeing a professional speak like the way I do. The fact of the matter is that I'm not an academic but I have multiple disciplines. In the US you are required to have multiple disciplines. So when the engineers are attacking me, they fail to recognize that I have a strong legal background. Also, I have a strong engineering background. I am associated with the Pennsylvania , New Jersey and Maryland interconnection. This interconnection is the largest power pool in the world.
I am an expert in power market. I have 19 graduate credit hours in accounting. I am a financial specialist and I have a strong statistical background. The US requires one to have all these to become successful. It is not like here where they want you to focus on one small thing.
All these fields are needed to run NPA, and the reason why NPA is at the bottom of the ocean is because these engineers do not have all this vast experience. I am bringing in practical experience.
AB: Why do you think the engineers are not supporting you?
GM: Because they feel they own this country.
AB: But Sierra Leone belongs to everybody.
GM: That is correct but some people have themselves convinced that they are the only ones who have the right. Let me tell you my brother they have ran this place for almost twenty years. Isn't it time to take a different perspective and give someone else a try? Employees would say enough is enough. They did not pay the workers for four months. I did not create the backlog but I paid it off. Why were they not able to pay it? They were not able to buy fuel to run the generators. I am able to buy fuel and morale at NPA has improved.
AB: You will agree with me that since you took up office all is not well, you must have faced some difficulties, can you tell me what these difficulties are?
GM: There are many challenges. I'd use the word challenges instead of problems because they are different. You see the word problem sounds monumental and huge and it means you can't solve them. But I was trained to look at every problem as a challenge. When you say challenge you are ready to fight.
The biggest problem I have is the financial mess that the engineers left behind. I have conducted an audit of this place, I now know our creditors. When the engineers were here they didn't even know their creditors they would just borrow here and there. When I came I asked who our creditors were and nobody could tell me. I insisted that I needed to have the names of our creditors. Now I have the challenge of paying the twenty Le24 billion they left behind.
They did not collect revenues. Customers owe us Le16 billion in revenues. I have the challenge now of collecting those revenues. They did not buy computers. Every computer in NPA was old. In fact I am afraid we are going to lose data. We cannot afford to lose valuable data. So I have to work hard now to get these computers.
The engineers never repaired the transmission and distribution system. For those people who have not been receiving electricity in certain parts of Freetown it is not our fault. Let me tell you the job of an NPA central manager. It is not to be an engineer. You need someone who has experience in economics, finance, accounting, engineering background and statistics. I am using all these fields. If you put an engineer here outside engineering they are lost. Worst of the problems are not engineering. They are economic, accounting and financial etc.
AB: You've written a book can you give me a synopsis of that book?
GM: The book is titled: Economic Regulation of Public Addictives and Transition to Competitive Market. You have to understand regulation and how to regulate a public. Chapter 1 is engineering; 2 is law; 3 is administration and 4 is tariff setting etc. The effort is to help me in my work because the book is written from a practical point of view. It was written for many countries that have come to me for help.
AB: Thanks Dr Zubairu Kalokoh and we wish you well.
GM: You are welcome.
