By Jabiru Hassan
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has defended its implementation of solar streetlight projects, stating that they were National Assembly constituency interventions approved in the Federal Government’s appropriation budget and not projects initiated by the company.
The clarification follows a report by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), which alleged that TCN paid N1.28 billion between May and June 2025 for solar streetlight projects outside its statutory mandate.
In a statement, TCN said it was designated by the National Assembly as the implementing agency for the projects, describing the arrangement as consistent with established government practice. It added that the funds were Federal Government appropriations, not the company’s Internally Generated Revenue, and that all payments were processed through the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).
According to TCN, the procurement process complied with the Public Procurement Act, 2007, and received approvals from relevant agencies, including the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
The company said the projects, located in parts of Jigawa, Kano and Kogi states, were intended to improve security, enhance visibility in vulnerable communities and help protect electricity transmission infrastructure from vandalism.
TCN maintained that implementing government-assigned constituency projects does not conflict with its statutory responsibility of transmitting bulk electricity nationwide. It also urged media organisations to seek clarification from the company before publishing reports to promote balanced and accurate coverage.
