The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, on Monday defended the appointment of Usman Gor Mohammed, an official of the African Development Bank, as the Acting Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
Usman was head of the Department of Finance ofthe TCN before he left for the AfDB in 2009 and he was worked with the ministry for over 17 years.
Appearing before Senate Committee on Power and Metallurgy, Fashola explained that the appointment Usman as the Acting MD of TCN has nothing to do with $174 million promissory note from the AfDB.
He said Usman was appointed because of his track record while he was in TCN.
Fashola said: “TCN is under the supervision of the head of the executive arm of government, who is the president.
“He exercises the prerogative to decide who heads that company, when and at what time.
“At the moment, TCN does not have a Managing Director.
“So, the person on whose behalf a petition has agitated this House is not a Managing Director.
“So, there is a vacancy.
“Let me say it on record and with every emphasis and clarity that this appointment has nothing to do with the AfDB loan.
“AfDB did not recommend its officer.
“We asked for him because there was institutional record on his performance in government before he took up the appointment with AfDB.
“The terms and conditions of the AfDB loans had been settled long before this matter came up.
“By the time I became Minister, there were existing AfDB loans that had been partly disbursed and they have no connection whatsoever.”
It would be recalled that in protest by states chapters heads of the National Union of Electricity Employees and Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, workers of the TCN alleged that the government was about to welcome a fresh $150 million project funding plus an additional $200 million promissory note from the AfDB and as such appointed Mohammed whom they described as its lackey to oversee the fund’s expenditure.
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