•Nigerian workers
Nigerian workers, under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), have alleged a plan by some officials operating a cabal within the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to spend nearly N20 billion for grid expansion.
The NLC alleged that the plan to spend nearly N20 billion from TCN coffers under the guise of “emergency refurbishment” looked more like a contrivance to fleece a company that was already saddled with fiscal challenges, reports The Guardian.
In a letter to the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and signed by the NLC President, Joe Ajearo, the Congress said the move was a clear danger.
Ajaero noted that the cabal within TCN was hoping to use the cover of “emergency” to allegedly bypass due process and bury the crimes in a blizzard of paperwork.
He warned that if the procurements proceed, TCN would not only be poorer, but its operational capacity would be crippled for a decade.
According to him, the grid will become a permanent patient in the emergency room, not because the nation lacked the technology, but because the funds meant to heal it were stolen.
Ajaero alleged that N191 million was meant to control erosion on one Tower – T89 Ihovbor, Okada, while N290,654,361 was expected to be spent on fence and do drainage at the Biu 132/33KV sub-Station.
He further stated that N226,024,555 for just one Tower T27 at Etsako, Okpella, Ajaokuta, among others, are all very questionable, negating the principles of fiscal discipline.
The NLC President alleged that it was apparent that there were plans to purchase the same items, specifically specialised transformers and switchgears, in multiple batches from the same supplier at escalating costs.
This, the NLC boss alleged, was not procurement but money laundering disguised as grid expansion.
He also said that there was an alleged scheme to overstock consumables (insulators, conductors, clamps) at far above market value under the guise of preparing for grid collapses, among others.
Ajaero, therefore, urged the minister to immediately halt all ongoing “emergency” procurement processes in TCN pending a full forensic audit.
He equally urged the Power Minister to investigate the sale of lands behind the TCN substation at Katampe, Abuja, and the attempt to promote a staff member employed on September 16, 2021, to an Assistant General Manager position in 2026, which is against established employment rules in TCN.
