The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has disclosed that its operations are being hampered by frequent damage inflicted on its infrastructure by acts of vandalism nationwide. The challenge, it said, has grown so much in proportion that a total of 178 transmission towers were destroyed by vandals in six months.
The Managing Director of TCN, Engr. Sule Abdulaziz, stated this while enumerating the challenges confronting the company at a three-day workshop organised for Power Correspondents Association of Nigeria (PCAN) in Keffi, Nasarawa State yesterday.
Abdulaziz said TCN faces relentless attacks from saboteurs and terrorists, particularly in the North East, resulting in the destruction of critical infrastructure, such as towers, adding that this has severely impacted power transmission.
According to him, these acts of vandalism have not only hindered the company’s core mandate of power transmission but also led to a negative public perception of weakness and failure, unfairly portraying it as a failed enterprise.
He said the challenge has further been compounded by the issue of substantial sector debts owed the company, which amounts to billions of naira, coupled by the difficulty in accessing federal budgetary allocations. Despite these challenges, Abdulaziz said TCN has remained committed to delivering on its mandate in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
He explained that as the sole transmission company under federal control in the post-privatisation era and due to security concerns, TCN plays a crucial role as a middleman between the power generation companies (GenCos) and distribution companies (DisCos). Abdulaziz lamented that TCN’s unique position makes it a target for fingerpointing from DisCos and GenCos, which often attribute erratic power supply to TCN’s alleged inefficiencies or poor transmission infrastructure.
He noted that the company operates a vast transmission network, comprising 111 330kV lines, stretching 8,792km and 163 132kV lines covering 7,933km. These lines are connected to 57 330/132/33kV and 186 132/33kV substations nationwide, supported by 18,456 330kV and 22,704 132kV towers. The grid’s static wheeling capacity stands at 8,700MW.
While declaring open the workshop, with the theme: “Understanding the critical role of TCN in Nigeria’s Electricity Supply Industry,” Abdulaziz regretted that debts owed to TCN as of March 2025, by stakeholders in the electricity sector stands at N457 billion. The TCN boss, who was represented by the Executive Director, Transmission System Provider, Oluwagbenga Ajiboye, lamented that the debt was affecting the company’s performance.
He explained further that the debt comprises N217 billion in legacy debt and N240 billion for recent services. He stressed that the national power grid goes beyond transmission infrastructure to include generation, distribution and consumers. “Grid comprises generation, transmission, distribution and you, the consumer.
The overall grid that was managed before now by Transmission Company of Nigeria, which comprised two companies, TSP and Independent System Operator, but on the 9th of May, the unbundling of TCN into two happened. “We have two licenses under the Transmission Company of Nigeria: Transmission Service Provider and Independent System Operator.
The Independent System Operator metamorphosed into the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO),” he explained. In her remarks, TCN’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, called on communities and stakeholders to help protect these vital assets, emphasising that safeguarding the grid is essential for national development and economic stability.
