… some things must be sorted out -minister
Olusola Bello
The Transmission Company of Nigeria TCN, a very strategic component of the electricity industry value chain has had it board constituted since January this year, but five months after, it is yet to be inaugurated.
The letters of appointment of the newly constituted board members of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) already signed and approved by Boss Mustapha were one time allegedly missing in transmission, some time ago. All efforts to locate the Letters which are precursor to inauguration of the new board was said to have been engulfed by “Power Play and Political intrigues”.
But Aaron Artimas, Personal Assistant to the Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, told Businessstandardsng.com that the list of the board members is with the minister, and that the board would be inaugurated as soon as some things are sorted out.
He said the minister is not against any of the board members, “but know that certain things must be done.”
He said, after all, the organization has not had Board members in the last 10 years, yet it is functioning. “What is left to be done is an administrative thing”.
All the people involved in the running of the industry must all agree, right from the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, the offices of the Vice President and that of the minister must all agree on all those things that would make the board take off effectively and efficiently.
He also stated that the minister, because of his supervisory role in the power industry has his hands full with works, such as ensuring work commences on the Mambila power project, and other projects under the ministry, some of these things have not given him the opportunity to settle down to attend to the issue of the board.
However, some industry players are of the view that corruption, political intrigues among officials of the Federal Government and ego has stalled the inauguration of the board of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) five months after the board members were appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
They are also those not convinced by the statement of the minister’s PA, as some of them alleged that it is the office of the minister that is holding back the inauguration for some unexplained reasons.
There are industry operators who have alleged that the minister is of the view that, since the company is going to be unbundle there would be no need for it to have aboard.
Another school of thought is however of the view that the failure of the minister to inaugurate the board maybe because he did not want the ministry to lose control of the agency, because as soon as the board is inaugurated major decisions would have to be taken by the board chairman and his colleagues.
Kunle Olubiyo, President, Nigeria Consumer Protection Network, said if the board of Transmission Company of Nigeria ( TCN ) is inaugurated it will results in having in place a Substantive Chairman and New Board Members of TCN who in turn will select a new/substantive MD /CEO of TCN and with attendant positive results.
He said the company was not privatised like other because it was viewed as cash cow for government officials
Technical and policy issues are believed in some quarters to be major factors holding the inauguration back. They said that some of the board members do not have the technical knowledge of how the industry is operating and because of this; it might be difficult for them to understand the issues stake in the sector.
The aggregate opinion of industry players is that if the minister, Sale Mamman, wants it inaugurated it would happen.
President Buhari appointed board members for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) with Muhammad K. Ahmad as the Chairman.
The Board will oversee the selection of a substantive Managing Director of the TCN as well as provide policy directions for the only power utility still owned 100% by the government.
Other members of the board include: chief Henry Okolo, Imamudden Talba, Ambassador Usman Sarki, Ali Haruna, Engr. Simeone Atakulu, Zubaida Mahey Rasheed, Dr Mustapha Abiodun Akinkunmi, Engr. Oladele Amoda, and Dr Nkiru Balonwu.
The TCN Board would also have representatives of the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Ministry of Power, Bureau for Public Enterprises, FGN Power Company Limited, and Executive Management of TCN.
TCN, the only bulk power company in Nigeria, currently has an Acting Managing Director, Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz. He was appointed in May, 2020.
