TheCable

Usman Mohammed, managing director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), says some Nigerians have made the organisation their farm where they get paid for non-performing contracts.

While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Mohammed said the protest by electricity workers on Tuesday calling for his dismissal was staged because he cancelled some electricity transmission contracts.

Mohammed said four of such contracts were cancelled in the last two months because the costs were highly-inflated.

He said: “We are not surprised at the claims made by the rented protesters and this is because we have cancelled so many contracts. We have cancelled many and even in the last two months, we have cancelled about four of them. I’ve cancelled those in Damaturu, Wudil, Walalambi, Dambata, Yawuri and many others.

“It is because they were not performing. Why should I leave them to continue the contracts? Look, some Nigerians make this place their farm and continue to collect money on every appropriation, which shouldn’t be.

“Now tell me, how can we have stable power supply with this kind of arrangement? Also, it might interest you to know that most of these contracts that we cancelled, we are going to complete them at the rate of 10 per cent of what the contract prices were.”

The electricity workers, under the umbrella of Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC), had accused Muhammed of highhandedness and anti-labour activities.