Federal Government Authorizes TCN Supervision Of N72 Billion Investments In DisCos

By CLEMENT NWOJI, Abuja

Given the growing distortions  in electricity distribution network, the Federal Government has mandated the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to oversee the approved N72 billion investments in the 11
Distribution Companies.

The Federal Government’s grouse for imposing TCN on DisCos include that the DisCos have not shown commitment in investing and expanding its distribution network, metering to ensure stable power supply and revenue collection and remittances to pay for power generated.

The Managing Director of TCN, Mohammed Gur Usman, who disclosed these to Journalists during interactive session in Abuja, cited that where Togo and Benin Republics gets about 80 percent of their power supply from Nigeria, but the countries have more stable power than Nigeria.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has asked Nigerians and the electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to take a cue of stable power network from the Republic of Benin and Togo that get 80 percent of their power supply from the Nigeria.

He said: “The reality is that we need investments in the DisCos. We need to change the distribution network. Some of you may not know. Any of you who has the opportunity of entering Republic of Benin, 80 percent of the electricity that is consumed in Benin and Togo is coming from Nigeria.

“Go to Benin, you will have a stable power, but why is there no stable power in Nigeria?  Why is it that they have stable power and we don’t have, it is because our distribution network is weak. Go to Togo or just Benin here, and see how a distribution network is supposed to be.”

Saying that the DisCos have no capacity just as they have not imbibed investment attitudes, he regretted that due to lack of distribution injection substations, some of the distribution lines were directly connected to TCN transformers which had resulted in bursting of two its transformers.

Usman who further spoke on the recovery of most of TCN containerised equipment abandoned at the sea ports several years ago said: “We have been able to recover 693 containers out of the 800 containers that had been at the port. Some of them have been there for 15 years. Some of them have been auctioned. We have to follow the auctioneers to get it.”

He said the TCN has rehabilitated and expanded the capacities of several of its substations across the country.