The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has written a letter to the Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, on how to compel the electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to pay the outstanding debt of N270 billion to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc.
Speaking at TCN’s/donor/stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja yesterday, its Managing Director, Mr. Usman Gur Mohammed, noted that with the application of the market rule, the company had collected its 100 per cent revenue from the DisCos.
But the managing director said the outstanding N270 billion debt was the revenue the DisCos failed to remit to the transmission company before he assumed office as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
He said: “We have written to the Minister of Power. We also suggested to him that we can work with the NBET, if they will agree to work with us to force the DisCos to pay them their money. We are going to enforce it if they (ministers) agree. There is no reason we cannot enforce it.”
With the enforcement of the market rule, the TCN chief said the company discovered among the DisCos, the weak, the strong, those that can survive and those that will collapse under real market conditions.
He added that the enforcement had improved discipline and transparency in the electricity market.
Mohammed hoped that enforcing the market rule would reduce Federal Government’s liabilities in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
The TCN, according to him, is working with governors to secure the right of way for the expansion of network (25 metres on both sides for 330Kv line and 15 metres on both sides for 132Kv.
On the essence of the meeting, he explained that the TCN had received loans and grants totalling $1.6 billion from donor agencies.
The TCN chief said the meeting was meant to give the donors an updated breakdown of the projects for them to guide the company on whatever ways they feel.
Mohammed explained that aside from the Abuja Wheeling Scheme Project, none of the other projects had received funds.
The CEO said the projects were at their procurement stages in sustainable manner.
He added that the TCN management reintroduced the Pupillage Training Programme of engineers to be under senior engineers for one year to enable the trainees start work on their own.
Mohammed said pupillage programme existed in the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) where young engineers were trained for two years.
