From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Against the call to privatise the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Minister of Power, Engineer Abubakar Aliyu has said that there is no plan to sell the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), while urging the public to dismiss statements regarding a non-existing plan to privatise the company.
This response, according to a statement by the Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister, Malam Isa Sanusi, the media reports claimed that there is a plan to privitise TCN.
Some of the reports, he said, even falsely claimed that the said privatisation is going to take place in coming months.
“These reports are untrue and are only mere misinformation aimed at spreading panic in the power sector, which is making progress towards ensuring that Nigerians enjoy uninterrupted power supply.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has no intent to sell or privatise the Transmission Company of Nigeria, and no one has made a statement of an intent to sell TCN.
“The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is a centrepiece in the Federal Government of Nigeria’s efforts to rejuvenate the power sector. Therefore, the Ministry of Power working with key stakeholders is continuing to evaluate, assess and upgrade TCN to make it more efficient and transparent.
“As part of the repositioning of TCN, job opportunities are being created, as with the recently-concluded ramp-up of employment, contrary to claims that there is a plan for a mass disengagement of staff at TCN. The organisation has also been carrying out sustained capacity building by training and retraining of staff across all cadre for efficiency and service delivery” he said.
Transmission, he said, is a vital segment of the electricity value chain that constantly needs significant investment. As it’s the best practice across the world, the government of Nigeria maintains the transmission segment of the power value chain even when other segments have been privatised.
Currently, the federal government is investing and supporting efforts to make TCN a world-class transmission service provider.
The federal government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari focuses on upgrading, stabilising and modernising Nigeria’s power industry through various interventions, including the Nigeria-Siemens partnership under the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), Sanusi, noted.