Success Nwogu 
The Chairman/Managing Director of Mania Communication Limited, (an electrical and electronics engineering company), Engineer Amoo Shina, has urged the European Union, (EU) the French Development Agency (AFD) the Federal Government of Nigeria (FG) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to ensure that the N103.76 billion electrification project is executed well and applied according to the aim of the grant. In an interview with New Telegraph on Sunday, Shina urged the partners to ensure that only competent and relevant professionals were engaged in the execution of the project.
The Federal Government and the French Development Agency had recently in Abuja signed a grant agreement of €25 million for the Northern Corridor Project, an electricity project funded jointly by the European Union, AFD and the Transmission Company of Nigeria. The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, and the AFD Country Director in Nigeria, Xavier Muron, signed the agreement in the presence of the Ambassador of France to Nigeria, Emmanuelle Blatmann, and the Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Cecile Tassin- Pelzer. The €25 million grant agreement was the contribution of the EU to the €238 million (N103.76 billion at the official exchange rate of N435.97/€) required for the project.
The Northern Corridor Project, being implemented by the Transmission Company of Nigeria, is meant to strengthen low-carbon economic growth in West Africa by improving the quality of the electricity network in Nigeria and supporting the development of a regional electricity market under the West African Power Pool. Additionally, the total cost of the project is around €238 million, including €12 million from TCN. The grant agreement represented the EU’s contribution to the project as the AFD contribution of €202 million was signed in December 2020. The Managing Director, TCN, Sule Abdulaziz, said during the signing of the agreement that the project was not just critical to the northern corridor but would also improve Nigeria’s power transmission in general. He added that it would surely give a boost to power transmission in general as according to him, it is very critical to not just the Northern corridor but to the entire system. Shina said the grant was a welcome development that will address the electricity challenge.
He advised that only competent personnel should be used for the execution of the project. He also said it would be a welcome development if the donors could consider the southern part of Nigeria for another tranche of the grant. He warned against corruption and any other unwholesome practise in the execution, adding that the foreign partners should be fully involved in every bit of the implementation of the project. Shina said: “It is good we are getting support from outside so that we can have a way forward regarding electricity supply in this country. Though it is shameful that at this stage and level, our country still lacks a functional, accessible and affordable power supply. Fine we are getting the support but as the support is for the northern part of the country, we can not say no. “We also request that such support from outside should also come to the southern part of Nigeria as soon as possible. But the one that is earlier, which is the support available to the north now. “I suggest that the government should be able to sit down properly and look at people such as technocrats, engineers and other competent personnel to handle the project. Government should not use unknown bodies and companies in the execution of the project so that the project will be well executed.
