The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Abubakar Atiku

  • ‎Journalists barred from covering Atiku’s visit to Govt. House

    Journalists were on Thursday shut out from covering the visit of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku to the Government House, Enugu.

    The journalists had accompanied the convoy of the presidential aspirant from the state secretariat of the party after meeting and addressing party stalwarts on his ambition.

    On arrival at the Government House gate, Atiku and his entourage were allowed to drive in while all the journalists including Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe were stopped from entering.

    It took prolonged entreaties from the correspondents before one of the journalists was allowed to drive in Atiku’s media aide.

    The stern looking security men, although polite, explained to the journalists that they were acting on instructions from above.

    At the party secretariat, Atiku described President Muhammadu Buhari’s government as one replete with lies.

    This is as different support groups canvasing for the former Vice President defied control by security agents.

    The support groups had in the morning taken over roads leading to Akanu Ibiam International airport Enugu and practically congested traffic from Emene to GRA state office of the PDP where Abubakar addressed party members amid uncontrollable crowd.

    Atiku said: “This government is a government of liars. They promised three million Jobs per annum but Nigeria has been losing three million Jobs every year. This job loss has brought the worst form of insecurity in the country.

    Read Also: Atiku: I’m not desperate to be president

    “We are facing challenging times in Nigeria. Today, economy is at its lowerst ebb and the greatest challenge is unemployment.”

    The former Vice President stated that the 2019 general elections would be Nigeria’s most crucial poll which citizens must ensure their votes count.

    “This is the most crucial election. Make sure you vote and when you vote, stand to protect your votes,” he urged.

    Atiku also stated that experience stands him out from the crowd, noting that he was the only former Vice President running for 2019 Presidency.

    He said: “No other government has surpassed our strides in governance. So if you are looking for an experienced person, I am here; if you are looking for a politician that can create jobs and unite Nigeria, I am here.”

    Former National Chairman of PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo said Abubakar was the only candidate who would implement restructuring, improve Nigeria’s economy and education standards, create jobs and solve poverty and killing issues in the country.

    “Atiku loves Christians same as Muslims. He has the capacity to stop killings and bloodshed. He will turn us round on the path of development. He is the man who will rescue PDP and Nigeria,” Nwodo said.

    Responding on behalf of the state party structure, state PDP Vice Chairman, Chief Innocent Ezeoha said Abubakar as an in-law to Ndigbo was at home in Enugu state.

    “You’ve seen the crowd starting from the airport which confirms that you are a son of the soil and we will continue to pray for you in Jesus name.”

  • Zamfara killings: Speaker lauds FG over deployment of troops

    The Speaker of the Zamfara House of Assembly, Alhaji Sanusi Rikiji on Sunday commended the federal government for the deployment of military troops to communities affected by bandits attacks in Zurmi local government area.

    Rikiji, who is also chairman of the state Damage Assessment and Relief Committee, gave the commendation while addressing the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at Government Arabic Secondary School Zurmi.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report that more than 12,000 IDPs were displaced from 18 towns and villages in Zurmi local government area by the bandits.

    “We thank the federal government for deployment of military personnel to these areas, we are still calling for more intervention and provision of sustainable security support in order to address the dwindling security situation facing the state,” he said.

    He urged the IDPs to remain calm as government was working with security agencies and all stakeholders to ensure peace returns to the affected communities.

    “We are also working with all stakeholders to improve your wellbeing while here in this camp”.

    “I want to thank the emir of Zurmi Alhaji Abubakar Atiku over his concern and support to his people.

    “We all know the efforts he have been making to ensure protection of lives and properties of his people, since yesterday we have been going up and down with him despite his age to ensure the IDPs are settled”, he said.

    The Emir of Zurmi, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku described the efforts of the federal and states governments as encouraging and also said, “what we have seen today is really appreciative, we want government to sustain these efforts”

    “I am aware that the federal government deployed more than 350 military personnel to these areas, therefore we are hoping that the situation will be better”, he added.

    Read also: Court dethrones Adamawa traditional ruler

    Earlier, the state Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Alhaji Lawal Liman urged the people to embark on prayers, “we should pray to Allah so that to over come the incident”.

    Liman lauded the orderly manner and cooperation by the communities where the camps are located.

    He urged the IDPs to remain calm and always cooperate with the officials in order to maintain peaceful coexistence.

    The IDPs were camped by the state government at Government Arabic Secondary School Zurmi, Local Government Secretariat, MDGs Hospital and Primary Schools in Zurmi town.

    NAN further reports that the affected communities are Mashema, Tunfa, Tungar Fulani, Tungar Nasarawa, Gambiro, Kwaddi Inwala, Kalage, Jena, Garkuwa, Tunani, Duka, Gidan Dutse, Gidan Kayya, Birane. GidanTsaka and Kuruniya.

  • We are ready for any challenge by APC – Atiku

    Responding to allegations that a grand plan was afoot by the government in power to rig the general election in 2019, including the presidential poll, former Vice President, Abubakar Atiku on Thursday said the opposition PDP was prepared and ready for any challenge that may come against it as the forthcoming general election is concerned

    Atiku, accompanied by his campaign director general, Gbenga Daniel, a former governor of Ogun State, and other supporters from across the country, was in Taraba State to solicit support for his presidential campaign.

    Governor Darius Ishaku and his deputy Haruna Manu, the Speaker Abel Peter Diah, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Victor Bala and other executives received the ex-VP at the Government House chamber in Jalingo.

    “I have come to formally place before you a request for you to support me emerge, not only as the candidate of our great party (PDP), but become the president of this country in 2019.

    “You know, if I become the president of Nigeria, it is as good as a Taraban is the president.

    Read Also: Atiku to announce bid for president July 21

    “I believe you will oblige to my request,” he said.

    Atiku, who hails from neighboring Adamawa State, said Taraba was, politically, his home even more than Adamawa State.

    He hailed Taraba for remaining a PDP State since 1999.

    “Taraba has maintained the party’s continuity, handing over from PDP to PDP. I urge you to continue to do PDP and support PDP,” he said

    He said he will restructure Nigeria if elected president.

    Atiku’s campaign Director General, Gbenga Daniel, urged Tarabans to support Atiku because he is their son.

    Daniel said whenever they are to bring a presidential candidate from the north, the candidate always comes from Sokoto, Katsina and Kaduna, forgetting other states that are classified under the northern region.

    “This time the president should come from the northeast,” he said and asked Governor Ishaku and Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe who are the only PDP states in the north, to lead the campaign for Atiku.

  • FG distributes relief materials to insurgency victims in Zamfara

    FG distributes relief materials to insurgency victims in Zamfara

    The Federal Government has distributed relief materials and empowerment items to the victims of insurgency in Zamfara.

    The distribution was made to the victims at Zurmi, Moriki and Shikafi emirate councils in Zurmi and Shikafi Local Government Area of the State.

    Speaking during the event, the Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees Migrant and Internally Displaced persons ( NCRIM ), Hajiya Farouq  Saadiya expressed her condolences to the emirates, families of the deceased and entire community.

    Saadiya said the relief materials were provided to ease the victims’ hardship and assist them in returning to normal life.

    She said before now the staff of the commission were in the areas to train victims on different types of skills with the aim of making them economically self-reliant.

    She said that the empowerment was considered the best form of assistance.

    According to her, the commission sees it very necessary to train IDPs and other victims of insecurity in the area on various skills acquisition.

    The areas of training for the victims included rice milling, clothes sowing, soap making and agricultural businesses.

    She said that the items distributed was a massage from President Muhammadu Buhari as part of his concern to the plight of victims.

    The relief materials distributed included food items such as rice, maize, beans and millet.

    Others were clothing materials, house holds items, kitchen utensils and health care materials.

    The empowerment items distributed at the event were sowing machines, rice milling machines, general granding machines, plough and animals such as ram, sheep and cows for livestock and animals husbandry.

    She, therefore, called on the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the items given to them, so as to sustain the effort of the government in reducing poverty among IDPs and other victims of insecurity.

    Responding at the event the Emir of Zurmi, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku thanked the commissioner and the Federal Government for the kind gesture and assistance.

    The Emir said the emirate was not the only area faced with the banditry attack in the state but we received the highest concern.

    He said since the time of the attack they have been receiving visitors from within and outside the state.

    Smillaly the Emir of Moriki, Alhaji Samaila Muhammad and that of Shikafi, Alhaji Makwashe Idaho both expressed stisfaction with commissioner and thanked the Federal Government as well.

    According to them, the assistance will surely touch the lives of the victims and assist them in returning to normalcy.

    Some of the beneficiaries commended the Commission and assured that they will make good used of the assistance.

    NAN

  • Breaking: Atiku ’s son surrenders child to ex-wife

    Breaking: Atiku ’s son surrenders child to ex-wife

    Aminu Atiku, son of former Vice President Abubakar Atiku, has handed over his seven-year-old boy, Aamir, to the child’s mother, Unmi Fatima Bolori.

    Aminu left with Aamir yesterday afternoon, after allegedly snatching the child from his mother.

    The incident occurred at about at 1:59pm, minutes after a Tinubu Magistrate’s Court ordered Bolori to take full custody of the boy and his nine-year-old sister, Ameera.

    Earlier Aminu failed to respond to Bolori’s application for child custody which was argued by her counsel, Gloria Albert-Ekpe (Mrs.) and Ethel Okoh from Festus Keyamo Chambers.

    Read Also: Atiku ’s son escapes with son as court awards wife custody of kids

    In her ruling, Chief Magistrate Kikelomo Ayeye upheld in part, Bolori’s nine-point ‘statement of arrangement’ for both kids.

    It ordered Aminu to pay her N250, 000 monthly for the upkeep of the children, beginning from this month. It also ordered Aminu to carry out medical insurance on the children among others.

    Details later…

  • Atiku condemn killings in Rivers, Kaduna, Benue

    Atiku condemn killings in Rivers, Kaduna, Benue

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday condemned recent killings in Rivers, Kaduna, Benue and other parts of the country, including the Wednesday early morning suicide bomb attack at Gamboru Mosque in Borno.

    The ex-vice president’s stance is in a statement by his Media Office in Abuja.

    The office stated that Abubakar described the killings as “ungodly”, adding that “the senseless killings and reprisal blood-letting are unacceptable.”

    He also described such killings as throwback to stone age, and a hindrance to the promotion of peace and unity in the country.

    Abubakar stressed that the diversity of Nigeria remained one of its strongest points.

    He advised leaders at all levels to “promote the things that unite Nigerians rather than those that create divisions.

    “That the Almighty in His Wisdom made us a nation of different tongues and tribes; made us Africa’s most populous nation with more than 300 tribes is no accident.

    “If well harnessed, our diversity should be our biggest strength.

    “There cannot be development when innocent lives are being lost in a seeming endless cycle of attacks and reprisals.

    “While we should hold every life as precious, it is more painful that the victims of these attacks are women and youths – the demography that we depend upon to drive development.”

    The former vice president urged Nigerians to use the opportunity of the New Year to reflect on the needless killings and to live in peace and harmony.

    He prayed that God would comfort the bereaved families.

  • Pastor admits defrauding Titi Atiku of N918m

    Pastor admits defrauding Titi Atiku of N918m

    A confessional statement tendered before an Ikeja High Court on Tuesday exposed how Pastor Nsikakabasi Akpan-Jacobs voluntarily confessed defrauding Mrs Titi Atiku, the wife of former Vice-President Abubakar Atiku of N918 million.

    Mr Dickson Graymond, a retired detective with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ) insisted on the voluntariness of Akpan-Jacob’s alleged confessional statement while giving evidence during a trial.

    While being led in evidence by Mr Babatunde Sonoiki, the EFCC prosecuting counsel, Graymond said: “There are so many things that he confided in me that he refused to put into writing.

    “He admitted to me that Florence Doregos was Titi Atiku but he refused to put that into writing.

    “He confided in me that he wanted to contest in the Akwa-Ibom elections and that as soon as he begs Her Excellency, the matter will be over.

    “All what he told me were not forced, I did not even force him to write all what he confided in me in his confessional statement.

    “All what he said in his statement was of his own free will.”

    During his cross-examination by Mr Amos Ibe, Akpan-Jacob’s defence counsel, the retired detective denied illegally detaining the pastor in EFCC’s custody for three weeks and denying him access to legal representation.

    “The first defendant (Akpan-Jacobs) was served with bail conditions by the EFCC but he could not provide sureties and we could not grant him bail on self-recognisance because of the gravity of the case against him.

    “He did not spend three weeks with us but six days and he was given the opportunity to produce a lawyer but he refused, saying he will write his statement on his own.

    “Dapo and Chima (EFCC operatives) did not force him to write any undertaking,” he told the court.

    Graymond also denied bringing Akpan-Jacobs to the Abuja office of the EFCC on the influence of Titi Atiku.

    Earlier during the proceedings, Ibe had objected to the tendering of statements Akpan-Jacobs had made at the EFCC offices dated Feb. 6, 12, and 13, 2009, March 4 and 5, 2009 and April 2, 2009 on the grounds that they were not given voluntarily.

    Following Ibe’s objection, Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye, in her ruling, ordered that a trial-within-trial should commence.

    The EFCC had slammed Akpan-Jacobs; Abdulmalik Ibrahim, a lawyer; and Dana Motors Ltd with a 14-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing and fraudulent conversion of property worth N918 million belonging to THA Shipping Maritime Services Ltd.

    THA Shipping Maritime Services Ltd, a company created in 2000, is owned by Titi Atiku, Akpan-Jacobs and Fred Holmes, her German business partner.

    Mrs Atiku was allegedly the majority shareholder with 49 per cent shares, while Messrs. Holmes and Akpan-Jacobs each had 25 per cent shares.

    Akpan-Jacobs, who also doubled as the company’s Managing Director and Secretary, was alleged to have gone to the Corporate Affairs Commission ( CAC ) to alter the shareholding in his favour and forged the company’s board resolutions.

    Under the new shareholding arrangement, he allegedly allotted 51 per cent shares to himself and 24.5 percent shares each to Mrs Atiku and Mr Holmes.

    According to the EFCC, welding a fraudulent shareholding power, Akpan-Jacobs also sold a property belonging to the company to Dana Motors Nigeria Ltd for N918 million.

    The property is located at Plot C63 A, Amuwo-Odofin Commercial Layout along Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Lagos.

    Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye adjourned the case until Oct. 25 for the continuation of trial-within-trial.

    NAN

  • Atiku’s wife to court: Pastor who defrauded me of N918m was my ‘errand boy’

    Atiku’s wife to court: Pastor who defrauded me of N918m was my ‘errand boy’

    Mrs Titi Atiku, wife of former Vice-President Abubakar Atiku, told an Ikeja High Court that Akpan-Jacobs, the pastor, who allegedly defrauded her of N918 million was her “errand boy”.

    Titi made this claim while being cross-examined on Wednesday by Mr Amos Ibe, the defence counsel to Akpan-Jacobs.

    “I paid N49 million for the land used as the premises of THA Shipping, my partner Fred Holmes never contributed to the buying of the land but he contributed to the building of the property.

    “The N49 million was given to Akpan-Jacobs to purchase the land, but did not know who he bought the land from.

    “He never contributed a dime, he was just like an errand boy,” Atiku said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had charged Akpan-Jacobs with a 14-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing and fraudulent conversion of property worth N918 million belonging to THA Shipping Maritime Services Ltd.

    THA Shipping Maritime Services Ltd, a company created in 2000, is owned by Atiku, Akpan-Jacobs and Fred Holmes, her German business partner.

    Atiku was alleged to be the majority shareholder with 49 per cent shares, while Holmes and Akpan-Jacobs each had 25 per cent shares.

    Akpan-Jacobs, who also doubled as the company’s Managing Director and Secretary, was alleged to have gone to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to alter the share holding in his favour and forged the company’s board resolutions.

    He allegedly allotted 70 per cent shares to himself and 15 per cent shares each to Titi and Holmes.

    According to the EFCC, welding a fraudulent shareholding power, Akpan-Jacobs sold a property belonging to the company to Dana Motors Nigeria Ltd for N918 million.

    The property is located at Plot C63 A, Amuwo-Odofin Commercial Layout along Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Lagos.

    Responding to Atiku’s claim that Akpan-Jacobs was her errand boy, Ibe asked: “He was made a Managing Director (MD), how can an errand boy be made an MD ?

    “He was made an MD to stand in for Mr Fred Holmes because Holmes had not resigned from his job.

    “When it was time for Akpan to step down as the MD, he refused because by then he had perfected his fraudulent acts.”

    The wife of ex-VP denied Ibe’s claims that Akpan-Jacobs owned and promoted THA Shipping Maritime Services Ltd and only brought her on board to bring in big briefs and clients.

    “Is he the one who bought the land, built the building? He was merely supervising.

    “My clout gave the company a lot of prestige, a lot of people wanted to do business with us and people brought a lot of containers to us,” she said.

    NAN recalls that while giving evidence on May 23, Atiku had told the court that she had used her maiden name, Florence Doregos, for business transactions because she was serving in government at the time.

    She denied Ibe’s accusations that Akpan-Jacobs never forged her signature either as Florence Doregos and Titi Abubakar in company documents.

    Mrs Atiku also denied Akpan-Jacobs claims that she never contributed to the construction of the building that housed the company.

    “I have a breakdown of the costs used in the construction of the building, Akpan-Jacobs gave me the breakdown in 2002 but he did not sign it.

    “I never said the property was built by Julius Berger, Mr Holmes was a Julius Berger staff and he might have used his connections to make the building a solid structure.

    “There was a document that Akpan-Jacobs had showed me that was signed Abubakar, I told him that that was not Titi Abubakar’s signature.

    “He forged Florence Doregos signature in a number of documents,” she said.

    Atiku also told the court that she and Holmes on April 6, 2009 passed a resolution removing Akpan-Jacobs from the ownership of THA Shipping Maritime Services Ltd.

    “He had sold the property by the time we passed that resolution but we wrote to Akpan notifying him of what we wanted to do.

    “My lawyer, Mr Chima went to Dana Motors Ltd made efforts to stop the sale of the property because by then, they had not given Akpan much money for the sale of the property.

    “When Mr Chima went to Dana Motors Ltd to tell them that the property was not for sale, they confided in him that the property was sold to Akpan for N918 million.

    “I only gave power of attorney to one Ms Springerbeck, a German citizen; I, however, reverted the power of attorney to my lawyer after I noticed that she had a lot of excesses.

    “Akpan used the property as a collateral for a loan from First Bank because he needed funds to run for governor of Akwa-Ibom.

    “When he could not pay the loan and settle his creditors, he sold THA Shipping Maritime Services Ltd.

    “I am not aware that a deed of assignment was signed by a secretary and director of the company, Akpan did not introduce any secretary to me,” she said.

    Mr Babatunde Sonoiki, the EFCC counsel, while re-examining Atiku, asked if she signed any the company resolutions used in the alleged fraud.

    “Did you ever sign board resolutions assigning anyone as company secretary, approving the sale of the property and to loan money from First Bank on behalf of THA Shipping?”

    Atiku replied: “I never signed any board resolution for any of those purposes.”

    Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye adjourned the case until July 6 for continuation of trial.

  • Zamfara Emirate council distributes money, grains as Zakkat

    Zamfara Emirate council distributes money, grains as Zakkat

    The Zurmi Emirate Council in Zamfara State has distributed over N8.9 million to the needy as Zakkat to the people of the area.

    Making the distribution on behalf of the state governor, in Zurmi on Sunday, the deputy governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Wakkala, reminded people of the state that Zakkat is mandatory on every Muslim, who had the resources.

    He, therefore, urged all those who were supposed to make the annual offering from their wealth, such as money, animals and grains, to continue to do so, in order to improve the well-being of the poor.

    Speaking at the event which took place at his palace, the Emir of Zurmi, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, said a total of 378 persons would get N20,000 each.

    The emir, who is the chairman of the Zakkat Collection Committee of the emirate, also disclosed that 570 bags of assorted grains were collected from farmers which would be shared to the needy, especially orphans, widows and the less-privileged in the emirate.

    The Chairman, Zurmi Local Government Council, Auwal Bawa, expressed satisfaction with the activities of the committee in collecting Zakkat and urged Muslims in the area to continue to bring their Zakkat to the committee.

  • TCN blames low power sector revenue on DisCos

    …Shops for 60 percent of counterpart fund to complete $200m projects

     
    The Managing Director, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Abubakar Atiku, Wednesday blamed the low revenue collection in the power sector on the inefficiency of the electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos).

    Addressing reporters in Abuja, he recalled that the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) was recording an excess of 60 per cent revenue collection, which the private investors undertook to improve on while acquiring the assets from the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

    Stressing that the record of the present DisCos revenue collection is a far cry from what is expected of it, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), urged the private investors to scale up its collection to match the agreements they signed with the BPE.

    His words: “Discos, they are 100% responsible for deriving the revenue to the electricity market, and they are not living up to expectations. We expect them to be 100% efficient, we know it is not possible but when PHCN was privatized it is on record that the successor companies are doing more than 60% in terms of collection.

    “It was anticipated at the plan of the privatization to see that there is improvement over and above 60%. But what are we witnessing now, lower performance. So distribution companies must step up to live to the expectation they signed with BPE when they bought over these assets.”

    According to him, the major challenge facing the TCN is the problem of liquidity in the electricity market.
    The Managing Director pointed out that payment of TCN services in the market has gone down from 55% to 30% in recent past and with that, funds’ coming to TCN in the form of revenue has reduced.

    “It would interest you to note that TCN is being paid an average of 33% of her total invoice sent to the Market Operator between January and September 2016 which further reduced to 27% in the month of November, 2016,” he said.

    Reacting to issue of load rejection, Atiku noted that while some of the distribution firms were rejecting, others were taking more than their allocation, which in the long run balanced the system and power frequency and neutralized any cause for concern.

    Exonerating the TCN from the cause of load rejection that could have worsened the revenue collection, he said that it is on record that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) queried the TCN to prove its claim on load rejection, which it has since responded to.

    The TCN boss boasted that the firm has record of power allocation from the System Operator regarding how some of the distribution companies took more than there allocation while some rejected theirs.

    He however noted that the fear of not taking more allocation stemmed from the fact that the commission would fine the DisCos in line with the stipulation of the Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO).

    His words: “On the issue of Discos rejecting loan, I will agree with you that some of them reject, some of them take more. If those taking more equal the amount that those are rejecting we will have a balance system. We will not have any cause to bother. But in most cases our frequency goes up more than the tolerable limit.

    “And once System Operator realizes that the frequency is more, that means somewhere somehow load is not taken.  And our records are there. NERC has queried us to substantiate our claim, which we have.

    “We have records by System Operator that any point in time for this and even distribution what it takes.

    Some of them must have taken more at a particular time, and due to micro allocation it us clearly stated that if you take more than your allocation, you will be fined. So, it is not TCN, it is MYTO, which NERC is enforcing that is why they have to pay for that.”

    According to him, the Federal Government has released 98% of the company’s 2016 budgetary allocation, while it hopes to secure more fund from this year’s budget for the completion of 22 critical projects.

    He disclosed that “the Federal Government has also approved the Contractor Financing Model for reinforcement and rehabilitation of projects in TCN. The first tram his for $200million worth of projects.

    The implication of this finance model is that the private contractors or investors can now fund TCN projects and be paid overtime. Although this would lead to the timely completion of projects, Uris however premised on our getting about 60% of Israel invoice paid, which is not the case presently.”

    Announcing that the present power generation into the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) was 3,200Mega Watts (MW), he said that TCN has within the six months of taking over its management from the Manitoba Hydro International improved its transmission capacity from 5,500MW to 6,500MW.

    Following the completion of some of its new projects, the company is expected to increase its wheeling capacity from 6,500MW to 7,200MW by the end of this year.

    The TCN, he said, has introduced dispatching tools which resulted in some more efficient interface with GenCos on one hand and Discos on the other hand and have also sucked in reducing Transmission Loss Factor (TLP) from 8.05% last year to7,82% as at January 2017.

    The CEO noted that this improvement in transmission loss translate to more power to DisCos for the people and about N5billion additional revenue to TCN, however due to poor market performance, impact of these is yet to be felt in terms of financial returns to TCN.