ABUJA FEBRUARY 4, 2017 – The National Assembly yesterday invited the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola over the sudden change of leadership of Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, just as it asked that status quo ante in respect of the management.
In a statement jointly signed yesterday by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and the Chairman, House Committee on Power, Daniel Asuquo, the National Assembly said that the minister and his team shunned the meeting fixed for yesterday.
Against this backdrop, the joint committee has summoned Fashola and all other relevant officials to appear before it next week Monday to answer to questions relating to the change of leadership of TCN, even as the Committee urged all TCN staff and relevant stakeholders to maintain the peace in the overall interest of the nation.
A statement titled: “ The TCN leadership crisis and its effect on the power sector,” read in full, “ The Joint Committee on Power of the National Assembly acting on its piers of oversight received disturbing correspondences and information regarding the sudden change in the leadership of TCN, and its attendant crisis.
“Considering the urgency of the matter, especially due to the present economic recession, the Joint Committee resolved to invite the Hon. Minister of Power, Works and Housing to explain the decision of the Ministry to “ import” from the ADB( one of the leaders to TCN) yet another duplication of the Manitoba experience which had left a negative impression on the fortunes of TCN and indeed, the Power Sector.
“The Joint Committee invited the Hon. minister of Power, Works and Housing to appear before the Committee along with relevant officials on the 3rd of February which he could not appear.”
“Consequently, the Joint Committee met and resolved as follows: that the status quo ante in respect of the management must be maintained; that the Minister should endeavour to appear before the Committee on Monday, 6th February, 2017 by 10am and that all TCN staff and relevant stakeholders should maintain the peace in the overall interest of the nation.”
Fashola out of town— Aide
Reacting to the invitation, the media aide to the Minister, Hakeem Bello said the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry wrote to the Senate informing them that the Hon Minister who was out of Abuja on assignment could not honour the invitation, adding that he would be at the National Assembly to with with them.
According to him: “We are currently on tour of the highway projects in the South East zone of the country. We have been to Imo and Abia, and now we are heading to Eboyin,” he said.
