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Tag: TCN

  • TCN chairman applauds BPE efforts in privatising power sector

    TCN chairman applauds BPE efforts in privatising power sector

    Alhaji Ibrahim Waziri, the Chairman, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), has applauded the efforts of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) in the just-concluded privatisation of the power sector.

    A statement signed by BPE’s Head of Public Communications, Mr Chigbo Anichebe, said Waziri made the statement when he paid a courtesy visit to the bureau on Friday in Abuja.

    It quoted Waziri as saying the privatisation of the power sector by the Federal Government through the BPE would reposition the sector.

    The statement said the TCN chairman assured that the company was committed to playing its part in the sector’s reform by reaching out to all stakeholders to actualise the reform.

    It also quoted the Director-General of the BPE, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, as saying the bureau was committed to assisting TCN to succeed.

     

  • TCN threatens new engineers

    TCN threatens new engineers

    The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) will deal with any of the newly recruited engineers whose performance falls below average, the Deputy Director, National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), Mr Kayode Amusan has warned.

    He told The Nation that the option of the big stick became inevitable when one considers the low contributions of some workers in the power sector.

    He said sanctions would help in instilling discipline in the workers, and make them productive.

    He said there is a dearth of engineers in the sector, adding that the issue made the government to commit huge resources for the training of the engineers.

    He said: “We would not tolerate acts that are not in conformity with productivity because a lot of money has been committed to the training of engineers, among other workers in the industry. We decided to inject fresh blood into the system, after a study shows that there is dearth of quality engineers in the sector. We want to bridge the gap between the old and the new generation of engineers to avoid a vacuum.’’

    Amusan said one of the problems in the industry is ageing engineers, arguing that the issue has affected electricity distribution, generation and transmission.

    The transmission aspect, Amusan said, is important to the sector because its stands in between the two other components- distribution and generation.

    Also, the Assistant General Manager, Transmission Services, TCN, Mrs Biodun Afolabi said the company has reduced the probation period from two to one year to enable the workers to stay and contribute their quota to the sector.

    ‘’One year probation is a policy in the power sector. Before, the probation period was two years. But we decided to reduce it to one year to encourage the sector’s growth. One cannot rule out the possibility of having truants among the engineers that we are going to train soon.’’ She added. (310)

    The Minister of Power, Prof Chinedu Nebo had said ageing workforce is one of the problems of the industry. Nebo said low output of workers of PHCN has affected the industry’s growth, aside infrastructural decay.

  • TCN targets 20,000MW in five years

    TCN targets 20,000MW in five years

    The Chief Executive Officer of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr Mack Kast, yesterday said he envisaged a situation in which Nigeria will have four times the present 5,000 megawatts power generation in the next five years.

    “Right now, we have, say, a capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW). What is going on in my mind is that in the next five years, we will be able to evacuate four times or more than that,” he said.

    Kast spoke in Abuja, where he listed the challenges in the Power sector to 522 new engineers from the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN).

    The TCN chief noted that the electricity distribution companies were handed over to private owners on November 1, last year, with hopes for stable and sufficient power supply.

    He told the new workers that the challenge was for the transmission sub-sector to stay ahead of the generation capacity to meet the customers’ demand for steady power supply.

    According to him, the TCN needs complementary workers to accomplish the task ahead.

    Kast said: “We cannot do this alone. We cannot do with the existing complementary staff; we have to move forward. In moving forward, we have to build the Transmission sector to stay ahead of the generation capacity that has been delivered.

    “The generation was privatised as at November 1 (last year). With that, it is expected to build and generate more capacity. If they build more capacity, we have to be in a position to evacuate that capacity to the users downstream to the distribution companies downstream. We are the critical sector linking the two.

    “So, our biggest challenge is to be able to stay ahead of the two…

    “The people in these areas do really care. What they want is steady power supply at a competitive price. So, that is where we come in, to make sure that we can meet that demand. To do that, it takes a lot of tremendous work.”

    The TCN chief admonished the workers that what lies ahead of them is not just their jobs but also the opportunity to boost Nigeria’s economy.

    He added that with an expanded economic growth, the government would have an expanded tax base and, consequently, higher tax collections.

    NAPTIN’s Director-General Reuben Okeke noted that the TCN could have engaged graduates from elsewhere.

    He said those employed from the institute made a difference, urging the new staff to overcome the challenges in the Power sector, by increasing capacity and preventing system collapse.

     

    Okeke added: “Right now, we cannot say that the system is okay because the way system collapses are happening is more than we can tolerate.”

  • ‘TCN targets 20,000MW capacity in five years’

    ‘TCN targets 20,000MW capacity in five years’

    •Disengages 500 workers

    The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is working towards increasing Nigeria’s generating capacity to 20,000 megawatts in the next four years, the Chief Executive Officer, Mack Kast, has said.

    “Right now, we have say a capacity of 5,000MW. What we envisage is that in about five years time, we will be able to evacuate four times or not more than that,” he said.

    Enumerating the challenges in the power sector to the newly engaged 522 engineers from the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria ( NAPTIN) in Abuja, he explained that the electricity distribution companies were handed over to private owners with a high hope for sufficient power supply.

    He said the challenge is for the transmission sub-sector to stay ahead of the generation capacity in order to meet the customers’ demand for steady power supply.

    He said: “We cannot do this alone. We cannot do with the existing complementary staff, we have to move forward. In moving forward, we have to build the transmission sector to stay ahead of the generation capacity that has been delivered.

    “Right now, the generation is privatised as at November one. With that it is expected to build and generate more capacity. If they build more capacity, we have to be in a position to evacuate that capacity to the users downstream, to the distribution companies downstream. We are the critical sector linking the two.

    “So our biggest challenge is to be able to stay ahead of the two, as I said in terms of generation from where they may be to the distribution companies, the customers, wherever they may be lurking.

    “The people in this areas do not really care. What they want is steady supply of power at a competitive price. So that is where we come in to make sure that we can meet that demand. And to do that it takes a lot of tremendous work.”

    Kast urged the staff that what lies ahead of them is not just their jobs, but the opportunity to boost Nigeria’s economy, adding that with an expanded growth, there will be many more employment opportunities.

    He said with an expanded economic growth,  the government will have an expanded tax base and consequently higher tax collections.

    The Director-General, NAPTIN. Reuben Okeke, said the TCN could have engaged graduates from elsewhere but the graduates engaged from the institute have a clear mandate, adding that the challenge in the power sector is wheeling capacity and total collapse in the system.

    “Right now, we cannot say that the system is okay because the  way system collapses are happening is more than we can tolerate,” he said.

    Meanwhile, TCN has disengaged about 500 workers to reposition the sector for growth, its Assistant General Manager, Transmission services, Mrs Biodun Afolabi, has said.

    Speaking during the flag off of a two -week orientation course for the newly employed engineers in Lagos, Mrs. Afolabi said the allegation that the company has sacked 50 per cent of its workforce is not true.

    She said the organisation’s goal is to provide a good workforce for the sector. ‘’It is not that we intend to sack 50 per cent of the workforce. We have carried out the retrenchment exercise, and it only affected less than 500 staff. Those affected are the aged and people with one illness or the other and whose productivity has been adjudged low.’’

    She said the development would make the sector better, stronger and competitive, adding that the goal is to improve the power transmission system.

    She said the engineers will from time to time receive training that would bring the best out of them, stressing that the sector requires an up-to-date and highly competent workforce for growth. Supervisors, Mrs. Afolabi said, have been assigned to put the workers through when they resume at their various positing units across the country.

    She said the transformation from the National Electric Power Authority(NEPA) to Power Holding Company of Nigeria(PHCN) to the Transmission Company of Nigeria(TCN) has been steady, adding that the workers would pass through different training levels.

    She refuted the claims that engineers would be paid three months after they start work.

    ‘’Nigeria is improving everyday. With the introduction of e-payment services, We hope that the new staff would get their salary at the end of the month.’’ He added.

  • Olawumi is NYSC’s DG as Orhii is reappointed NAFDAC chief

    Olawumi is NYSC’s DG as Orhii is reappointed NAFDAC chief

    Brig.-Gen. Johnson Olawumi was yesterday appointed the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

    A statement in Abuja by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Anyim Pius Anyim said Gen. Olawumi’s appointment took effect from December 23.

    The Army officer, who hails from Iyin Ekiti, Ekiti State, attended the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army on September 23, 1989.

    He has a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Mathematics from the Nigerian Defence Academy and a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florin.

    Gen. Olawumi, who also has a Master’s degree in Defence Studies from the Kings College, London, is married and has children.

    Mr Ibrahim Waziri was appointed the Chairman of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

    His appointment took effect from December 24.

    President Goodluck Jonathan has also approved the re-appointment of Dr Paul Orhii as the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) with effect from January 13, 2014.

    A statement yesterday in Abuja by Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), confirmed the re-appointment.

    It said Jonathan also approved the re-appointment of Prof. Francis Idachaba, as the Chairman, Governing Board of the Nigerian Merit Award, with effect from December 29, last year.

    The statement said the President approved the appointment of three new members and renewed the appointment of four members of the board.

    The new members are: Prof. Tola Olufunla (Ondo State), Prof. Andrew Nok (Kaduna State) and Prof, Laz Ekueme (Anambra), while those whose appointments were renewed are Prof. Etim Etim (Akwa Ibom), Prof. John Enaohwo (Delta), Prof. Ben Onaji (Benue) and Prof. Garba Goja (Jigawa).

  • Tambuwal hits Budget Office

    Tambuwal hits Budget Office

    •Finance ministry ‘underfunds agencies’

    House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal has said the Budget Office and the Ministry of Finance should be held responsible for the economic and infrastructural development challenges confronting the country.

    The Speaker also said the two bodies were holding back progress on the benchmark figure for the 2014 budget.

    Besides, he stressed that the two have always been responsible for deliberately underfunding Ministries. Departments and Agencies (MDA) by changing the required budget figures presented by the MDAs to the Budget Office.

    Tambuwal spoke yesterday while receiving the Board of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), led by its Chairman, Alh. Hamman Tukur, who regretted that the National Assembly had not done enough to assist the power sector.

    He said: “We are not your problems. The National Assembly cannot and is not the problem of any MDA in terms of making attempts to support MDAs for funding.

    “Your main problems are, principally, the Budget Office and the Ministry of Finance.

    “On the oil benchmark, the problem is still with the same people. It is not our fault; we are still dragging with the Executive on the benchmark because we say we need more money to fund our infrastructure development.

    “Meanwhile somebody somewhere says we should be saving money on empty stomach. How do you save money when you are hungry for health care, road infrastructure, power, sound education and somebody is insisting on saving; for what, for who?

    “We have to look at those advice and what interest those people are really serving. Is it truly our own interest or somebody else. This has always been a source of misunderstanding between us and them.

    “We represented the people and have their mandate to act and speak on their behalf and that is a very big difference between us and them.

    “We at the National Assembly are the least of your problems.”

    Saying that the National Assembly has always been supportive of adequate supply of reliable and affordable power to Nigerians, Tambuwal referred the TCN team to past efforts made by the legislators in that direction.

    “Let me say this; we are very ready and amenable to complement the efforts of the government in ensuring that we have stable, affordable power supply in this country.

    “That was why the legislation towards the unbundling of the PHCN was passed in 2005.

    “One is to provide appropriate legal framework and if there are challenge you have in the implementation of the law so far, you are free to come forward with such observations and we are ready to attend to such amendments expeditiously.

    “Secondly, our job is to make provisions for funding, which have been quite challenging. In some cases, arising from our knowledge from what we meet on the ground as a result of our oversight, there were attempts in some cases to adjust funding for some of these critical sectors of the economy and power is one of them

    “But we often meet some resistance, not necessarily from the experts from the MDAs but from the Budget Office and the Ministry of Finance.

    “Many at times, when you are given the envelopes, which has been the traditions, even though we have always opposed it, by the time the budget is prepared and sent to the Budget Office, what comes to the National Assembly is a completely different document from what was sent by the MDA.

    “That has been an area where we have always had frictions between the two arms of government because our committees are aware of the needs of the MDAs, based on the interface they have been having as a result of the oversights they must have undertaken in the course of the year.

    “By the time Mr President lays the budget, what we normally see is a completely different thing from what the MDAs sent to the Budget Office and that is the main problem.

    “Our Committees don’t deal with the Budget Office in term of budget defence; we deal with the MDAs but when they come and diplomatically make their defence and tell us that this is not what they presented.

    “In this case, we will be compelled to actually do the right thing, and the right thing is to listen to the people who are in charge of the sector and adjust the submission of the Budget Office to conform with what is now otherwise implementable.

    “But by the time we so do, somebody somewhere, one individual will sit down in his office and say the National Assembly has tampered, tinkered with and paddled the budget, which is not so”.

    The Speaker pleaded for the understanding of the TCN team and Nigerians that the National Assembly would always be alive to its responsibilities.

    “Until we address the challenges of the Budget Office, which normally changes the submissions of the MDAs, whimsically, without any expertise, we will continue to have problems, not only of funding, budgets but also of implementation because MDAs are being given what otherwise were not their documents to implement, where would they start from?

    Tambuwal said the National Assembly would continue to support the TCN in terms of funding “but we will also continue to follow the money through oversight”.

  • TCN blames power rationing on pipeline vandalism

    TCN blames power rationing on pipeline vandalism

    The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has blamed the recent nationwide power rationing on vandalism of the gas pipeline, supplying gas to the Okpai Power Plant in Delta.

    This is contained in a statement issued by the TCN General Manager, Public Affairs, Mrs. Seun Olagunju, on Sunday in Abuja.

    It explained that there had been about 450MW reduction in electricity generation since the vandalism on Saturday and that this would last till November 26, when repair work would be completed.

    It said that all relevant stakeholders were currently working hard on the repair of the vandalised plant which that had also been shut down.

    “The repair work is expected to be completed within three days and Okpai Power Plant will expectedly resume generation on November 26,” it said.

    The TCN appealed to electricity consumers nationwide to bear with the temporary inconvenience, pleading with them to help government in protecting TCN installations.

    “TCN regrets inconveniences to the Federal Government and our highly esteemed electricity consumers nationwide.

    “We enjoin members of the public to work with the government in protecting installations and facilities meant for our socio-economic development,” it said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the TCN was incorporated in November 2005.

    TCN emerged from the defunct National Electric Power Authority as a product of the merger of the Transmission and Operations sectors on April 1, 2004.

    Being one of the 18 unbundled Business Units under the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, the company was issued a transmission licence on July 1, 2006.

    TCN’s licenced activities include electricity transmission, system operation and electricity trading.

     

  • ‘INEC has failed in Anambra’

    ‘INEC has failed in Anambra’

    Two non–government organisations, the Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) and the Transparency Centre Network (TCN), have urged the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, to apologise for the flaws in last Saturday’s poll.

    The groups also enjoined INEC to prosecute the officials, who colluded to undermine the poll.

    National Coordinator of HURIWA Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, who served as the deputy chief of Mission for TCN, an officially-accredited observer and the National Director, Media Affairs of HURIWA, Miss Zainab Yusuf, said the failure of INEC in Anambra was an unfortunate foretaste of what might happen in 2015 unless and except comprehensive reforms were executed in INEC by the National Assembly.

    “The poll was a disappointment despite the preparations and funds committed to it. The election was marred by criminal shortage of sensitive materials and the inexplicable tampering with the voter register in which case many were denied their rights to civil and political freedoms.”

    The groups enjoined INEC to ensure that the supplementary election is conducted without waste of time.

    “We are sad that INEC has demonstrated that inefficiency and corruption, which were entrenched in INEC before the current leadership, have assumed a wider dimension and if these gaps are not fixed, the 2015 elections could precipitate major national conflagrations if the same administrative flaws seen in Anambra on November 16 are repeated at the national level.”

     

  • Workers’ protest may stall PHCN handover to GENCOs, DISCOs

    Workers’ protest may stall PHCN handover to GENCOs, DISCOs

    Despite making all payments, the 13 generation and distribution companies(GENCOs and DISCOs) may still have a hurdle to clear before taking over the assets of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria(PHCN).

    The workers are threatening to stop the takeover until the Federal Government implements its agreements with them before PHCN’s privitisation began a few years ago. The agreement included the payment of their severance package and re-employment by the new operators, among others.

    Earlier, the workers protested the handing over of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in Abuja to Manitoba Hydro International, a Canadian firm.

    The Chairman, National Union of Electricity Workers, Lagos Chapter, Mr Adeleke Ibrahim, said workers had not receive their severance package because of the Federal Ministry of Power’s inability to put its record straight.

    He urged the committee and government agencies charged with computing the allowance to speed up and ensure that it is paid in time. The payment, he said, would placate the workers and avert problems in the future.

    The union, he said, would resist any further delay in payment because the workers had waited long enough for it and were now worried.

    The Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dr Sam Amadi, believes the workers’ action cannot scuttle the reforms in the sector. The workers had no power stopping Nigerians from benefitting from the reforms.

    He said the 13 GENCOs and DISCOs had met the requirements for operating as private entities, adding that the threat cannot stop them from starting operations.

    The workers, Amadi said, had not been justifying their earnings because they could not provide light for the country.

    He said it was time the workers left the sector for private companies to improve electricity supply in Nigeria.

    Amadi said: “The workers have been collecting salaries for years, yet they could not guarantee power supply. The government has paid N400billion as severance package, in addition to 50 per cent increase in their salaries. In spite of this, they are unable to justify the payment. Do we have light in the country? No. They have no choice than to leave for the new operators to come in to improve power supply.

    “I believe in the workers’ welfare, but I do not support any strategy that would destroy the successes recorded in the power reforms. The workers should go because issues relating to their outstandings have been sorted out. They cannot stop the private-sector- led initiative introduced to enhance productivity in the power sector.”

    The spokesperson in the Ministry of Power, Mr Timothy Oyedeji urged the workers not to lose sleep over the matter since the government has agreed to pay, adding that there are laid down structures for the payment.

    He urged the workers to refrain from doing anything that could affect the privatisation process.

    The workers’ actions, he said, would not prevent the companies from starting their operations, adding that some people were against privatising the sector.

    He said laid down procedures were followed to drive privitisation, urging workers to show enough understanding for the growth of the power sector.

    The former President, Senior Staff Association of the defunct National Electric Power Authority, Mr Godwin Ifenacho, said the protest followed the uncertainty surrounding the fate of the workers. He said the workers were provoked by the slow pace of payment, adding that only 40 per cent of the workers have received their emoluments.

    He said workers in Abuja among other cities had been paid, while others have not.

    He said: “The problems lie in the ways in which the workers are paid their emoluments. A situation where some workers have been paid, while others have not, is not good enough. This has created room for suspicion and fear. Based on this, the workers have no choice than to threaten to sabotage the efforts of the government.”

    The workers, he said, did not want what happened to the workers of the moribound Nigerian Airways and the Nigerian Telecommunication Limited(NITEL) to happen to them. After the liquidation of the Nigerian Airways and NITEL, the government failed to fulfill its promises of re-absorbing the workers”.

    “Workers are afraid of being thrown into the labour market. Their argument is that when the companies eventually take over the assets of PHCN, they would not employ them. To avert this, they want to stop the companies from starting operations,” he said.

    He urged the government to fast-track payment to dispel rumours that it has a hidden agenda, adding that the government must speed up the payment process, because the period for handing over the assets of PHCN to the private operators is near.

  • Spend excess crude fund on electricity,TCN chair urges

    Spend excess crude fund on electricity,TCN chair urges

    The Chairman, Transition Company of Nigeria (TCN) Hamman Tukur yesterday urged President Goodluck Jonathan to spend the excess crude fund to develop the power sector for the benefit of the citizenry.

    He advised the Federal Government to vote $2 from each barrel of crude daily for the upgrade of the power sector.

    He spoke during the inaugural meeting of the reconstituted supervisory board of the TCN in Abuja.

    Nebo had earlier addressed the board and asked Tukur to give a goodwill message.

    According to Tukur, other countries spend their excess crude fund on infrastructural development, adding that Nigeria should borrow a leaf from them.

    Tukur, who said he was confident in the availability of sufficient fund for the development of the sector, hinged his claim on his experience as the chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMFAC), where he designed the country’s revenue sharing formula for 10 years.

    He said: “If every year we fix our budget benchmark of crude oil, for example, $80, $85, if you sell that crude oil for $100, you have a difference of $20. In other countries, it is that difference they use to develop their infrastructure. All we demand is $2 from every barrel per day. It is not going to affect the budget of the federation.

    “We hope we will get the necessary support from the Minister of Power and the Minister of State to move the power sector towards development. Honestly, in Nigeria we have 160million people. We have to move on from the Presidency, the executive arm of government to move Nigeria to where it belongs.

    “We designed the sharing formula for this country for 10 years so that dollar is there, take it. How much did you give to PTF and development was quite visible . Please take $2 from this fund. Use your difference in benchmark to develop the power sector and in the next couple of years development will be there for you.”

    Earlier, the minister said the Federal Government was aware of the significant financing required to transform the national grid.

    He noted that President Jonathan has shown exemplary political will in the prosecuting the power sector agenda.

    According to Nebo, “the Federal Government has so far secured alternative funding sources for TCN which include the African Develoment Bank, Niger Delta Power Holding Company, the Eurobond and most recently Sellers’ Credit from Original Equipment Manufacturers.”

    He assured the stakeholders that the Federal Government is committed to supporting TCN to secure funding for prudent investments in the transmission infrastrure.

    The minister told the TCN board that “in order to entrench institutional continuity, the Deputy Managing Director shall be in attendance at all meetings. In the same manner, Nigerian counterparts to Manitoba Hydro International staff shall work together in a collaborative manner for the good of the organisation”.

    He asked the board to key into the electricity initiative under which major load meters would benefit from 18 to 24 hours of power supply.

    Nebo charged the board to pay attention to the development of a robust business plan for the rapid expansion and development of an economically viable national grid.

    He added that the board should see to the institutionalisation processes and systems for ensuring transparency and prudence in expenditure.

    The minister urged the board to review and align provisions of the recently executed Schedule of Delegated Authority with a view to ensuring the rapid transfer of know- how to Nigerians, stressing that there should be accountability on the management contract.

    Nebo asked the board to ensure “monitoring and evaluation of the performance of the Manitoba Hydro International under the management contract and the Development of critical key indicators such as frequency of ‘system collapse ‘ and ‘average restoration time ‘ for black outs.’”

    The Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Godknows Igali in his address revealed that the Federal Government is grooming the Deputy Managing Director of the TCN, Abubakar Tambuwal Atiku as the successor of the management contractor- Manitoba Hydro International.

    TCN Chief Execitve Officer Mr Don Priestman, who unveiled the expanded plan for electricity transmission, noted that the company would design a plan for the transmission of 10,000MW in the year.

    He added: “For the purpose of this preliminary exercise therefore, the starting point will be the available generation which must be evacuated. The ministry has always said Nigeria has up to 10, 000MW installed capacity but the transmission network is weak to wheel it to the consumers.