MRA accuses TCN of breaching FOI Acts

The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has accused the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) of breaching the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.The MRA’s Programme Manager in charge of Digital Rights, Eseohe Ojo, disclosed this in a statement.It alleged that the TCN had failed to submit annual reports and proactively disclose information about its operations.

According to the group, the TCN, being a public company, owns Nigerians the duty of transparency about its operations.“The TCN manages the electricity transmission networks in the country, and is one of the 18 companies that emerged from the unbundling of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in April 2004.

“This duty is more so, as the TCN is currently fully owned and operated by the Federal Government.”MRA stressed that the TCN is a product of the merger of the transmission and system operations of the PHCN.

It added that the company is also rendering public service by carrying out the duties of systems operation and electricity trading, as well as ensuring that the power generated by GENCOS and DISCOS are effectively deployed.Ojo urged the Federal Government to reorganise the TCN, “as part of its reform programme to improve its capacity and reliability.”

The statement said the proposed reorganisation and restructuring is necessary, “as evident in the clear failure of the TCN to effectively carry out the Federal Government mandate, and respond to the public dissatisfaction about its operations.”The group added that it is only through the provisions of the FOI that the public could be informed about the TCN’s operations.

“Despite the fact that the core functions of the TCN ought to be guided by the principles of transparency, accountability and integrity, it has chosen to operate in secrecy.“This has deprived Nigerians of the right to be informed, having failed to deliver an essential public service in an efficient manner,” the statement said.