Tuesday 12 Mar 2013 The Guardian Nigeria

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TheGuardian Conscience, Nurtured by Truth

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Vol. 29, No. 12,493

N150

www.ngrguardiannews.com

Manitoba ready to start electricity contract From Emeka Anuforo, Abuja ANADIAN firm, Manitoba C Hydro International, has finally been issued the schedule

• Gets schedule of delegated authority • Govt may inaugurate supervisory board this week

of delegated authority that would enable it to effectively take over the management of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on behalf of the Federal Government. There are also strong indications that the much-awaited supervisory board members announced for TCN last December would be formally sworn in this week. The TCN was incorporated in November 2005. TCN emerged from the defunct Na-

tional Electric Power Authority (NEPA) as a product of the merger of the transmission and operations sectors on April 1, 2004. Being one of the 18 unbundled business units under the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), the company was issued a transmission licence on July 1, 2006. The operations of TCN include the key three functions of Market Operator (MO), System Operator (SO) and Transmission

Service Provider (TSP). The schedule of delegated authority is the instrument that gives Manitoba full authority for running TCN. With the signing of the contract in July, August was to be a transition period while the schedule of delegated authority was to have been issued in September heralding full take-over. The Chief Executive Officer of Manitoba, Don Priestman, confirmed the development in an interview with The

Guardian last night. He said: “Yes, we have been given the schedule of delegated authority that hands over the management of TCN to us.” On the company’s plans for the troubled TCN, Manitoba stressed: “Throughout the term of the contract, one key objective for MHI will be to reorganise TCN such that the transmission service provider becomes a separate entity from the market operator and

system operator and thereby allowing it to become a privatised commercial company. “MHI expects to turn TCN into a technically and financially efficient, stable and sustainable company; a company that will be market-driven and capable of utilising its maximum generation capacity and then distributing the energy throughout Nigeria 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. To do this, MHI will have to focus on developing the proficiency of local personnel.” But Manitoba’s travails and its rocky road to implementing its contract in Nigeria

have become a metaphor for how not to do business in Nigeria. The $23.7 million three-year management contract was signed with the firm July last year. But scheming within government circles to continue to control the office of the market operator known as the ‘power house’ or the ‘financial room’ of TCN, led to several attempts to manipulate the contract. The Guardian learnt that the issuance of the schedule of delegated authority was largely motivated by the new Minister of Power, Prof.

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Cardinals end final day of talks before papal conclave begins ITH the focus of the globW al community turning to the Vatican today, Catholic cardinal electors ended the final day of horse-trading for the position yesterday before shutting themselves into the Sistine Chapel to elect a new Pope after Benedict XVI’s shock resignation. But agency reports indicated that an Italian and a Brazilian who both head powerful archdioceses are among the top contenders for the headship of the world Catholics. According to Agence France Presse (AFP), the cardinals yesterday held their last preconclave talks where they have been debating the challenges that the next Pope will face and vetting possible candidates for the post. Meanwhile, the honour of

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Lagos reopens Ladipo Market — Metro Page 12

A cross-section of judiciary workers at the Court of Appeal Headquarters’ gate in Abuja… yesterday. (Inset: Workers with placards protesting against non-payment of their entitlements by government.) PHOTO: LADIDI LUCY ELUKPO

Outrage over alleged plot to stop APC’s registration From Adamu Abuh (Abuja) and Lawrence Njoku (Enugu) N alleged attempt by the A People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop the registration of the All Progressive Congress (APC) yesterday drew condemnation from stakeholders. It was alleged that the PDP and INEC planned to frustrate APC by registering another party called African Peoples

• ‘Controversial APC’ came before Buhari’s, Tinubu’s party, INEC insists • Declines to reveal founders of ‘APC’ Congress (APC). The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) described the alleged move as a ‘bad omen’ for Nigeria’s fledgling democracy. On his part, Second Republic

Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, yesterday alleged that the emergence of the African Peoples Congress (APC) may have been masterminded by INEC.

He particularly accused the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, of working in tandem with the shadowy group to frustrate the first APC. When contacted, the INEC

boss confirmed that some persons had last week submitted the request for the registration of the African Peoples Congress (APC) as a political party. Jega, who spoke with The Guardian through his media aide, Mr. Kayode Idowu, however, declined to mention the identities of those behind the shadowy APC.

Imo Assembly, PDP insist on deputy gov’s impeachment - Page 8

Distancing INEC from the shadowy APC, he disclosed that the new APC was well ahead of the widely known APC that had political giants like Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) and Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu. Stating that INEC was yet to receive a request for the registration of the widely known APC, he disclosed that a checklist would be carried out by INEC to ascertain

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