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TCN To Float $200m Funding Scheme

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9 years ago

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The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says it has received approval from the Federal Government to begin a pilot funding scheme of 200 million dollars for the refurbishing of its existing lines and substations .
The Managing Director of TCN Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, announced this at a news conference in Abuja last week.
The Tide recalled that the nation’s electricity value chains is facing several challenges ranging from generation, transmission and distribution problems.
Some of the reasons attributed for the transmission hiccups are the inability of TCN to completely overhaul its equipment due to non availability of funds.
To this end, Abubakar said that the approved funding scheme was designed to complement Federal Government’s funding of the 127 transmission projects in the country.
He said the scheme would be advertised for interested investors to invest in the exercise designed to reinforce and refurbish TCN’s existing electricity transmission lines.
The managing director assured that the investors would get good return on their investments from the wheeling revenue from the electricity market.
According to him, the exercise is expected to commence when the cash flow of TCN increases from its current 30 per cent to 60 per cent.
He said the increase in the company’s cash flow would guarantee repayment to investors over the period of time to be agreed upon.
Atiku said that TCN was also accessing some concessionary multi-lateral loans and grants from trans- national organizations like the World Bank, Euro Bond, African Development Bank, Japan International Corporation Agency.
He said the loans had contributed to the completion of its projects in 2016 and would also assist in the completion of the targeted projects in 2017.
Atiku said that the new management was working tirelessly to complete the outstanding critical projects funded in the 2016 budget.
According to him, the projects for completion in 2017 include, rehabilitation of Afam 1x150MVA, 330.132.33KV  transformer and construction of Afam IV to Afam transmission line at 95 per cent completion.
Others are Katsina –Daura 132kv line and 2x60MVA substation at Daura which is 90 per cent completed, Kafachan 2x60MVA substation project, that is presently 92 per cent completed.
Osogbo-Ede 132kv DC transmission line at 95 per cent completed, Kaduna –Jos 330kv DC transmission line at 75 per cent completion.
According to him, other critical projects to be completed in 2017 are Benin North-Osogbo 330KV DC transmission line at 48 per cent completion stage.
Others are Eruka-Omotosho 330 DC transmission line  24 per cent completed, 1x150MVA, 330/132KV and 60MVA, 132/33KV substation at Damaturu 92 per cent completed.
Also 40 MVA mobile sunstation at Damboa in Borno State, that is 45 per cent completed and 40MVA mobile substation at Mayo Belwa in Adamawa state that is 90 per cent completed.
The TCN MD said that the completion of the outstanding critical projects would increase the wheeling capacity of TCN from 6, 500MW to 7, 200 MW by the end of 2017.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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5 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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5 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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5 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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