The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has stated that it secured more than $1.4bn (N1.87trn) from multilateral development agencies to expand and strengthen the national grid.

Speaking during a training workshop for power correspondents yesterday in Keffi, Nassarawa State, TCN’s Executive Director, Transmission Service Provider, Engr. Dr. Ajiboye Oluwagbenga, said the investments are in the form of loans and grants that has seen the growth of the grid to take more electricity to Nigerian homes.

He said this has enabled the company to commission 89 transmission transformers across the country and added 8,700 transformation power to the grid.

He added that the investments and partnerships are mostly from the World Bank, AFDB, JICA, AFD and other stakeholders that are trying to come into the power sector for investment.

He however lamented the toll vandalism is taking on the toll, saying it is preventing funds to be spent on other critical infrastructures.

“Persistent attacks continue to threaten towers, lines, substations and projects. While those who attack this infrastructure are Nigerians, it is sad that they prioritise their pocket over the general benefit of Nigerians.”

He added that it is partnering with the Office of the National Security Adviser to ensure those caught are prosecuted.

While stating that community engagement has helped to reduce vandalism and apprehend culprits, he called on Nigerians to report suspicious activities on transmission lines.

“Our staff don’t work on lines or remove anything from it except if there is an issue. So, anyone seen working on transmission lines should be reported to police or vigilantes close to them. This is because the perpetrators are criminals and might be armed. So, any sighting of unauthorised activity should be reported,” he said.

On the claim that the transmission line is the weakest point in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, he said it is false as other players try to shift blame of their own inefficiencies.

“When they say TCN is the weakest link, we work there and we know it’s not true. But we don’t have to shout too much because we are a government agency. You could see for the past two days now, Abuja Disco is claiming that TCN is the cause of its constraint for reduced supply to its customers. We have to look around our network and nothing has gone bad in our network. All our lines to Abuja are on.

“So we have responded to them that no, because they find it very easy to blame TCN for everything. I’m not blaming them. We are the only government agency among them. So any small thing, they want to blame TCN because the federal government is very big.” (Daily Trust)