Senate To TCN Board: Don’t Worsen Power Supply

Chairman Senate Committee on Power, Senator Gabriel Suswan has cried out over the inadequate two hours per day power supply in the country.

He warned the newly board of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), which came after seven years, not to worsen the situation.

In his goodwill message at the board inauguration ceremony in Abuja, he noted that despite paucity of fund, there is an enormous job begging for attention in the transmission subsector.

Besides, he said transmission is pivotal to the sector’s value chain.

According to him, power shortage is a common knowledge in Nigeria.

“Most Nigerians are experiencing just two hours of power in their homes.

“Why I am worried is that most times when you have board members, you experience in fighting, you experience personal interest and that becomes a problem to a problem rather than a solution,” he cautioned.

He appealed to the board chairman to hit the ground running to compliment the efforts of the minister and the company’s Chief Executive Officer.

Stressing the transmission suffers some setbacks due to inadequate funding, the chairman urged the board to work out innovative ways of funding it with the Minister.

According to him, should they wait for only funding from budgetary allocations, the country would be grappling with the power challenges even in the next 20 years.

He said: “First, funding is not enough because as chairman of the committee, I know how much a appropriation is given to them year- in year -out.

“And so, those are the areas that I think that you need to join hands with the Minister. If it depends on the budget for the appropriation from the federal government in the next 20 years, we will still be saddled with the same issues and the same problems.”

The Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu accepted that the average 5,000mega watts that the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) was delivering was inadequate for the over 200 million people and Gross Domestic Product of $500 million.

He advised the board not to constitute itself into a force against the progress of the company.

He noted that the appointment was for the members to bring their experience to bear and serve with the best of their ability.

“You own the TCN the duty of reasonable fairness in all your decisions.

“The TCN as a company is subject to statutory and regulatory control. And your board is to monitor and ensure compliance with such control,” said Aliyu.

TCN Managing Director, Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, urged the board to give the staff and management of the company the support to deliver on its mandate.

Responding on behalf of the board, its chairman, Engr. Bukar Buni, promised they will work tirelessly to justify the confidence reposed in them.