By Chesa Chesa
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has defended the implementation of solar streetlight projects valued at N1.28 billion, saying they were National Assembly constituency intervention projects approved in the Federal Government’s budget and not initiatives undertaken outside the company’s statutory mandate.
The clarification followed a report published by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), which alleged that TCN paid N1.28 billion between May and June 2025 for solar streetlight projects purportedly outside its core responsibilities.
In a statement issued on Friday, TCN explained that the projects were constituency interventions nominated by members of the National Assembly to benefit vulnerable communities and were included in the Federal Government’s approved appropriation, with the company designated as the implementing agency.
According to the company, it neither initiated nor requested the projects, stressing that they were incorporated into its capital budget in line with established government practice.
TCN further clarified that the funds used for the projects were Federal Government appropriations approved by President Bola Tinubu and not generated from the company’s internally generated revenue. It added that all payments were processed through the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) in compliance with existing financial regulations and that procurement received the necessary approvals from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and other relevant agencies.
The company said its nationwide transmission network, comprising 330kV and 132kV lines and towers, has long required sustained public sensitisation on asset protection, safety and the dangers of vandalism and bush burning.
It argued that the provision of solar-powered streetlights in vulnerable communities contributes to improved security, enhances public confidence, discourages theft and vandalism, and ultimately supports the protection of critical national power infrastructure.
TCN said the projects executed in Jigawa, Kano and Kogi states were undertaken at the request of the National Assembly to improve security, increase visibility and stimulate socio-economic activities in the benefiting communities while also helping to safeguard electricity transmission facilities.
While reaffirming that its primary mandate remains the transmission of bulk electricity across Nigeria, the company maintained that it is legally empowered to execute constituency and other Federal Government projects assigned to it, provided due process is followed.
