TCN not responsible for power grid collapse — MD

The Transmission Company of Nigeria on Sunday said it was unfair for Nigerians to vent their anger on its officials every time the national grid experiences failure in power supply, saying it is not their fault.

The Managing Director of TCN, Sule Abdulaziz, raised the concerns when he featured as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Abdulaziz was reacting to calls from electricity consumers across the country for the dismissal of officers responsible for managing the national grid, following its collapse on Saturday morning.

Saturday’s collapse marks the second in the week and the seventh in 2024.

But the TCN boss insisted that much as they are charged with managing the grid, there are some important factors people often fail to consider.

He said, “Before explaining further, let me just say the grid didn’t collapse three times in October. We had grid disturbances only two times. I think the first was on Monday and the second yesterday (Saturday). There was news that the grid collapsed again on Tuesday. That one was incorrect. On Monday, we were to fix the grid but had some setbacks.

“TCN is the one in charge of the grid. It doesn’t mean that all the problems are from the TCN. It can be from generation, transmission, and distribution. Sometimes it can be a (result of) disaster. So, if there is any system collapse, we have to conduct studies to find out what the cause is. But you cannot say it is the fault of the TCN just like that.

“Again, the transmission system needs a lot of investments. For so many years in this country, that sector was neglected. Most of the equipment we are using is over 40 to 50 years old. So it is not possible for that equipment to work perfectly. So we are doing our best. We know we can do more. But at least, we are getting to know the problems one by one.”

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