Business

TCN Promises To Improve Power Supply In Lagos, Ogun

Published

7 years ago

August 1, 2018

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says it will construct six 330kv transmission substations in Lagos and Ogun States to improve power supply and boost industrialisation in the country.
The Managing Director of TCN, Mr Mohammed Usman-Gur made this known at a news conference in Abuja yesterday.
He said the construction of the substations became necessary in view of the importance of electricity in promoting industrialisation.
According to him, TCN‘s move to build the substations in the western parts of the country is aimed at consolidating on its Transmission Rehabilitation Expansion Programme (TREP), having begun the Abuja transmission expansion projects.
“We also have the Lagos, Ogun transmission substations, and we are putting six transmission substations between Lagos and Ogun and this substations are the substations we are doing to target the most industrialised parts of Nigeria.
“Most of the biggest industries we have in Nigeria are between Abeokuta and Lagos, so we are building four 330kv substations in Ogun .
“This is the first time in the history of Nigeria that we are building more than one 330kv substations in one location and this time we are building four.’’
Mohammed, who did not disclose the cost of the projects, listed the locations of the projects in Ogun to include Mountain of fire, Ojijo, Aribajo and new Agbala.
He said the other two substations would also be developed at the Badagry area of Lagos.
“We have finished the survey, we have finished the design, and we have determined the compensation.
“What is remaining is that the compensation became very high, but we have briefed our minister and he wrote to the Ogun State Government to bring down the cost of compensation or to take up the compensation itself. “
According to him, TCN will ensure that companies who had previously abandoned TCN’s equipment at the port will not be allowed to win the contract.
He said that only qualified and credible contractors would be allowed to bid for the project.
Mohammed also said that TCN had begun the process of acquiring a functional Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system (SCDA) to monitor activities of power sector operators on the national grid.
He said the installation of a functional SCDA would deter operators across the value chain from engaging in activities capable of affecting the grid.
The TCN boss also announced that the company had attained a wheeling capacity of 7,124, as at Dec. 2017, having commissioned new substations and installed 27 new transformers across the country.
Mohammed noted that installation of the transformers was done by TCN in- house engineers at reduced cost, adding that the company had also maintained its frequency control at 49.5 and 50.5.
He, however, said TCN was working to attain the West African Power Pool (WAPP) frequency control target of 49.8 and 50.2, and would also establish a spinning reserve to stabilise the grid.
On TCN’s stranded containers at the port, he said the company via the support of Federal Government recently recovered 693 containers of transmission equipment.
According to him, several attempts to recover the containers in the last 15 years have been unsuccessful by previous management.
The TCN boss said European Union (EU) had also agreed to provide a 25 million Euro grant to TCN to build sola power transmission line in Katsina.
He said the line would be used to transmit Federal Government’s planed 1000 solar power Independent Power Project due to be constructed in Katsina.
Mohammed also revealed that TCN’s funding had not improved, hence it submitted a request to Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to review its tariff.
According to him, the company had devised other measures to source funds to execute its projects through multilateral and donor agencies and reduction of cost of projects by using in -house engineers to execute projects.
Mohammed noted that Federal Government through the effort of Ministry of Power, Works and Housing had also helped to approach the Ministry of Finance for assistance for its expansion programmes.
He emphasised the need for investment on distribution infrastructure on the part of the Distribution Companies (DisCos) for improved power supply in the country.

Business

NPA Assures On Staff Welfare

Published

3 days ago

June 27, 2025

The Tide

The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive with the development of the welfare of its personnel.

Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the clearing of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.

A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying, “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.

The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.

“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”

Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.

“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.

Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”

Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos

Business

ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

Published

3 days ago

June 27, 2025

The Tide

National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).

The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.

Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.

The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.

The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.

The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.

Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos

Business

NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement

Published

3 days ago

June 27, 2025

The Tide

In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.

Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.

He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.

“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.

Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.

The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.

“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.

Chinedu Wosu