• BPE to sign documents with power disco preferred bidders Wednesday


After years of pussy footing, the Federal Government is finally ready to hand over the management of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to a Canadian power firm, Manitoba Hydro Power (MHI), next week.
The handing over of TCN, a critical component of the power reform and privatisation programme, is coming seven months into the $23.7 million three-year management contract it signed with the foreign firm last July.

Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, said Tuesday in Abuja at the ongoing 13th edition of the Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG-13) conference that the government was now ready to hand over to Manitoba, the required and controversial “schedule of delegated authority” that would enable it to effectively take control of TCN by next week.

Nebo, who made a presentation on the progress of government’s reform exercise in the power sector,also explained that workers of successor companies of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) who had sought for the payment of their severance benefits in the wake of the privatisation of PHCN would begin to get their severance pay cheques next week.

He said the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) would Thursday begin to sign all the necessary documents with preferred bidders for power distribution companies (discos) in anticipation of their imminent takeover of affairs at successor PHCN companies.
The industry documents to be signed by the expected owners of PHCN successor companies include the vesting contract, gas sales agreement, power purchase agreement, transmission agreement and share transfer agreement.

Nebo said: “The process of privatisation is heading towards its completion and awaiting payment. By Thursday (tomorrow), many of the preferred bidders will sign-on and will be required to pay the first tranche of the money that they have been asked to pay so that eventually they will take over these companies.

“I can also assure you that within the next week, Manitoba Hydro will get their schedule of delegated authority and we are also making arrangement to pay off PHCN workers but not everybody will be paid at the same time; we will make the payments in batches.”

The government had in July 2012 after a procurement process that was conducted by the BPE, signed a three-year management contract with Manitoba.
The $23.7 million contract was supposed to reposition TCN into a technically, financially efficient and stabletransmission company in anticipation of its expected roles in Nigeria’s emerging power sector.

The contract had however remained dormant in the past seven months following the seeming reluctance of the government to grant Manitoba control of proceedings at TCN through “a schedule of delegated authority” which would contain all the major responsibilities of Manitoba.
Manitoba is in accordance with the contract expected to take up staffing and management of key departments of TCN such as the Systems Operations (SO), Transmission Service Provider (TSP), National Control Centre (NCC) Osogbo and Market Operations (MO), which was reported to have been a controversial aspect of the contract.
The controversy over the management contract had forced President Goodluck Jonathan to cancel it last November.

Manitoba had signed the management contract with the BPE, following a long drawn out process that lasted more than five years, in which the Canadian firm and Power Grid of India had their technical and financial proposals evaluated to determine which of the companies would be selected as management contractor.
The selection process for a management contractor was started under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007, but was stalled by his successor, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who rolled back the power sector reform and privatisation programme.

However, when Jonathan took over in 2010 and launched the Power Sector Road Map that same year, the Federal Government directed the BPE to continue with the process from where it had been stopped, rather than re-advertising for prospective companies to express interest all over.
The decision was because the government was eager to jump-start the power privatisation process without the bureaucratic red tape.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/finally-fg-ready-to-hand-over-tcn-to-manitoba/140066/

Great News! Sweet sweet beautiful music to my ears!

thelastPope: Great News! Sweet sweet beautiful music to my ears!

If the govt concludes the PHCN privatisation process and begins construction of the second Niger bridge, then my tireless support and all my hardwork on this forum would have yielded INDELIBLE positive results that'll be celebrated for many years to come.

Sincere 9gerian:
If the govt concludes the PHCN privatisation process and begins construction of the second Niger bridge, then my tireless support and all my hardwork on this forum would have yielded INDELIBLE positive results that'll be celebrated for many years to come.

Privatisation without at least 22hours/day power will still be a useless venture.
You can only be at rest if Nigerians bagin to experience constant power.
After that, Textile industries will return to employ, Dunlop tyres and many others who bid us farewell due to the power frustration will come back.
Only at that point can we say, you and your boss did achieved something.
GOVT, SHOULD DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO.
STORIES DON'T DELIVER, ACTIONS DOES.

Olaolufred:

Privatisation without at least 22hours/day power will still be a useless venture.
You can only be at rest if Nigerians bagin to experience constant power.
After that, Textile industries will return to employ, Dunlop tyres and many others who bid us farewell due to the power frustration will come back.
Only at that point can we say, you and your boss did achieved something.
GOVT, SHOULD DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO.
STORIES DON'T DELIVER, ACTIONS DOES.

What is your confusion about now guy! Once there is privatization, government doesnt have to determine anything. Cant you get that? Is it government that is determining how the telecom netwworks expand? They will have to do business and make profit. The onus will be on them, not government and the beauty of it is that if they dont provide power, they dont make money. The single biggest reason why power did not improve much over the years is the fact that PHCN have been funded and made money without producing light. That era will be gone under private control. The power will now be in the hands of consumers.

Sincere 9gerian:
If the govt concludes the PHCN privatisation process and begins construction of the second Niger bridge, then my tireless support and all my hardwork on this forum would have yielded INDELIBLE positive results that'll be celebrated for many years to come.

I heard they have started clearing the bushes in preparation for the commencement of work on the second Niger bridge. Can you confirm that please?

thelastPope:

I heard they have started clearing the bushes in preparation for the commencement of work on the second Niger bridge. Can you confirm that please?

No actual work has started. The proposed date for commencement of work is March/April this year.

thelastPope:

What is your confusion about now guy! Once there is privatization, government doesnt have to determine anything. Cant you get that? Is it government that is determining how the telecom netwworks expand? They will have to do business and make profit. The onus will be on them, not government and the beauty of it is that if they dont provide power, they dont make money. The single biggest reason why power did not improve much over the years is the fact that PHCN have been funded and made money without producing light. That era will be gone under private control. The power will now be in the hands of consumers.

CAN YOU REMEMBER THAT MOST OF THOSE COMPANIES ARE OWNED BY GODFATHERS.
IT MEANS THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY LIKE WITHOUT THE GOVT. TAKING STANCE AGAINST ANY ANOMALIES.
ABUBAKAR, BABANGIDA ETAL ARE INVESTORS, YOU KNOW?

Plz, let them do dis like Yesterday... Esp Manitoba..

Its simple PHCN were the cancerworm that opposed power delivery in nija, whether they produced power or not they still got their salary but when it is in the hands of private sector it becomes a viable business of which if they don't deliver power no income for them and when they deliver steady power that's steady and better income for them. QED

I dont understand why threads on historic progressive steps in the power sector dont make front page

Sincere 9gerian: I dont understand why threads on historic progressive steps in the power sector dont make front page

that's nairaland for you a place where only if u post a beer palour rumour about GEJ or FG it would hit the front page. And if u nairaland is filled with a lot of people who hate this present governmen.if u want to know more go to the threads posted during the last presidential election.anyway keep posting positive stuff that u can get ur hand on.nigeria is moving forward