- GenCos deny receiving N200bn from govt
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has declared that the Federal government has no power to order free electricity for Nigerians as part of palliatives over Coronavirus pandemic.
The Managing Director of TCN, Usman Mohammed, described the proposition and announcement by the government, especially by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, is mere propaganda.
He punctured the argument that the government would pay for the proposed two-month free electricity for customers.
“There is this information that went round that power is going to be free. I don’t know where that information came from,” he told Punch.
“But I can tell you that there is nothing like power is going to be free because the Federal government cannot make power free. The Federal government does not own the power (electricity).
“In the electricity industry, apart from transmission, which is just the transporter, all the other chains do not belong to the Federal government. So I cannot understand how somebody will concoct that information.
“There are some people involved in propaganda who brand information that is very unnecessary, to be honest.
“I think at this stage what we need to do is to sustainably supply electricity and that is what we are doing.”
Meanwhile, the power generation companies (GenCos) have claimed they are not aware of any N200 billion paid to the power industry by the Federal government in the past three days.
“For the records, GenCos have not received fresh funds from anyone. What Gencos have received is payment for energy produced and consumed for 2019.
“GenCos have not received any funds of any nomenclature – palliative, stimulus or coronavirus funds. We are currently being paid the money owed for 2019.
We take exception to our name being used to score political points,” said Joy Ogaji, Executive Secretary, Association of Power Generation Companies.
The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Mele Kyari, had said on Wednesday that the government had paid N200 billion to the power sector to improve electricity supply.
Ogaji noted that GenCos operators are patriotic private businessmen, further stating that Nigerians were misinformed against the operators.
Ogaji said: “Below are figures of our performance from February till date to buttress our assertion of making power available. Nigerians should ask why this power is not getting to them.”
According to her, available generation capacity was 9,440 megawatts in February when actual average generation was 4,629MW and stranded generation was 4,811 megawatts (mw).
Available generation capacity for March was 8,310.07mw, when average generation was 3,912.47mw and stranded generation was 4,405.61mw.
Between 1st and 14th April, available generation capacity was 8,269.31mw, actual average generation was 3,951.23mw while stranded generation was 4,961.96mw.
A source in a power distribution company, pleading anonymity, said the N200 billion was not paid to them, adding that it was not for the planned free electricity.
“It has nothing to do with the DisCos and has nothing to do with the palliative that is being proposed. Let the President pass the law. I know you have not seen any law on palliatives that has been passed.
“When they pass the law and the President signs it, then the content of it will tell us what the development is.”