TheCable

Usman Mohammed, former managing director, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), says the presidential power initiative (PPI) has distracted the company from focusing on issues bedeviling the power sector.

Mohammed spoke on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily monitored by TheCable on Wednesday.

The first phase of the PPI seeks to modernise, rehabilitate, and expand the national grid.

In December 2021, the federal executive council (FEC) approved $1.9 million and €62.9 million for phase one of the PPI.

Speaking on the development, Mohammed said the PPI was created the same way as the national integrated power project (NIPP).

The former TCN boss said the transmission rehabilitation and expansion programme (TREP) was a better initiative but had stalled due to the government’s shift of focus.

TREP, a strategy which is expected to rehabilitate and expand the nation’s transmission infrastructure, is expected to gulp $200 million. 

“As at today, the content of that presidential power initiative (PPI) is intervention in upgrading seven substations. That is phase one. Then, they are supplying some mobile transformers. That is what it is,” he said.

“What is 10 mobile transformers and 10 spare transformers? All these things they are talking about is not up to 2 percent of what they are doing under the national transmission rehabilitation and expansion programme and yet, the moment the government put this issue of doing the presidential power initiative (PPI), they distracted TCN from focusing on what they are supposed to do.”

Asked if the first phase of the PPI can achieve its target of increasing power supply to a minimum of 7,000 megawatts, Mohammed said it was not a tangible goal.

“How will upgrading in Talata Mafara, upgrading in Katampe and four other substations, take you to 7,000 megawatts? It is not possible. Instead of us to focus on the one we have worked on,” he said.

“We have carried out all the studies. For example, we embarked on a project in Lagos. We are putting four 330KV substations in Ogun and Lagos. One in Aribajo, new Agbara, Mountain of Fire and one other place. Then 132KV in Redeemed Christian Church of God, and another one in Badagry. These substations include lines 330KV and 132KV.

“All the studies have been concluded when I was the MD and this project is putting power at the industrial base of Nigeria, especially between Lagos and Ogun. It is putting four 330KV substations and two brand new 132KV substations with lines. And it is attacking the industrial base of the country.

“We’ve completed the study. We included  the counterpart funding, which is the only thing that is needed to pay the compensation for the right of way, which is worth about N3 billion in the ministry power as at the  time I was still the MD, before I was sacked. But up to now, the compensation for right of way was not paid.

“The design has been completed. Everything is completed. Now, we are focusing on PPI that even the studies were not concluded.”

A POLITICAL PARTY CANNOT CHANGE THE POWER SECTOR 

Speaking further, Mohammed said there is need to better engage with political parties for them to have clearer understanding of the power sector. 

He said there is also need for Nigerians to have a non-partisan consensus to develop the power sector.

“So, that we know that any party that comes, this is where we are moving because one political party can not solve the problem of power sector,” Mohammed said.

“What I mean is that in four years, you are not going to solve the problem of power sector. So, it means that we have to have non-partisan consensus on how we want to move forward.”