How I rescued TCN from the cabal – MD

The Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Usman Gur Mohammed, has disclosed that before he assumed office, certain vested interests dictate the state of affairs at the TCN.

He added that contractors determined the direction of the company, took workers to trade shows abroad and in return were issued blank cheques.

Mohammed spoke at the weekend in Abuja during a dinner with journalists covering the power sector.

He also disclosed that the situation he met in TCN was worse than what the former management inherited from the Manitoba Hydro International, adding that he came into TCN not on batter between African Development Bank (AfDB) which was his employer and the Federal government.

According to him, the situation in TCN was such that contractors took decisions, awarded contracts to themselves, connived with the MD to get their letters of expression of interest signed so that any amount they claim on any project will be paid fully. He added that contractors took TCN staff to trade shows abroad and were in turn handsomely rewarded with more juicy contracts.

He said, “When we came in, we met TCN in a condition worse than what was inherited by Manitoba Hydro.

Contrary to the reports, we were getting and I hope that you know it, we did not come as an arrangement between African Development Bank and Government of Nigeria. No. I am a staff of AfDB but I am a Nigerian. Just like any other Nigerian, that’s how I came in to support the government of Nigeria, like Ngozi came in to support the government of Nigeria. That was how I came in.

“When we came in, we met TCN in shambles in terms of leadership. There was absence of leadership.
“The most unfortunate part of it is that we discovered that some of the contractors were even paying some of our staff. So their loyalty is to the contractors.

“What we have done in the last 10 months is to reposition TCN, and put TCN in a position that we can have staff that are loyal to TCN and then put in the necessary capacity that is needed and also stabilize the growth.”

Speaking on the upgrade and transformation that took place in TCN since he assumed office, Mohammed said, “When we came in, TCN has a capacity of about 6,000MW but we increased the capacity. So TCN now has a capacity of about 7000MW now.

“But when we came in even with that capacity that it has, TCN was higher than the distribution companies as distribution companies has a capacity of between 4,500 to 5,000MW as we speak.

“So it is easy for someone to think that TCN does not need to expand the grid because our capacity was higher than what the distribution companies can pick.

“But there are issues what we call power pyramid which is of international standards. According to the pyramid, if generation is 7,000MW, transmission is supposed to the twice the capacity of that generation. So as we speak, Transmission is supposed to have the capacity of 14,000MW.

“In the same pyramid, distribution is supposed to be twice the capacity of the transmission. So as we speak, distribution is supposed to be 28,000MW. This is how the power pyramid is.

“So, in transmission, even though we have capacity higher than the distribution, is it not right for us to think that we are there? No, because our target is to be twice the capacity of the distribution. And that is why we came up with a transmission administration and expansion programme”.

The development, he said, did not create a platform for a effective transmission of power from the generating companies to distribution companies.

He equally stated that Manitoba never audited the account of TCN but informed that the first set of audit report, handled by PriceWater Coopers House (PwC) is ready and has been submitted to the appropriate authority.

He said, “All through the four years of Manitoba Hydro contract, and the regime that succeeded them, there was no single audit of TCN. It was when we came in that we mobilized and within a month and half, we submitted the audit report of TCN from 2012 to 2014 and after another two months, we submitted the 2015 audit report and we are almost ready with the 2016 audit report”

He said that he was part of the consultants that prepared the bid for the unbundling of power holding company where TCN was created and eventually handed over to Manitoba Hydro International.

He assured that he will do everything possible to reposition TCN and ensure that necessary upgrades are carried out in transmission lines.

Myke Uzendu, Abuja