RELIEVED that the fog around the operations of the high grade Canadian energy firm-Manitoba has now been dispelled by the Presidency, the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria Chris Cooter has said the company is now in a position to fulfill its mandate in Nigeria.
Manitoba's broad mandate for the revitalisation of the electricity conundrum in Nigeria include stabilizing the grid, reducing electricity losses during transmission, improving grid security and performance, providing management efficiencies, and providing transfer of skills and expertise to Nigeria.
In a statement in response to The Guardian enquiry yesterday on Manitoba's Hydro operations and Canada-Nigeria Economic Relations, Cooter said his government was pleased by President Goodluck Jonathan's "re-affirmation of the Manitoba Hydro International (MHI) contract to manage the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN)."
"Canada strongly supports President Jonathan's Roadmap on the power sector. The President has consistently emphasized that getting electricity to Nigerians is vital to the prosperity of the country. That is why the MHI contract matters and no doubt why President Jonathan reaffirmed it this week," he added.
Manitoba Hydro, a company with extensive international experience, was selected for a three-year contract through a fair, open, and transparent process to transform TCN into a financially sustainable and self-sufficient company in the power sector.
But their operations in the country had been largely stalled by politics leading to reported contract cancellation last week. The supposed invalidation of the contract was later found to be a misleading piece of information.
According to the Canadian envoy, "these are key steps needed for all the other elements of the Roadmap (to fulfilling its mandate), including generation, and to getting more electricity to Nigerians. For Canada, more electricity for Nigeria means a more prosperous Nigeria. That is very much in Canada's interest as well as Nigeria's.
"We are working hard with the Nigerian Government and private sector to attract Canadian investment under our new Bi-National Commission. To that end, in January, our Trade Minister will come to Nigeria with a delegation of Canadian business investors in many fields, together with educational institutions. This will be a first for us and I am confident that it will lead us to a whole new level in our relationships. The message I am conveying back to Canada is that Nigeria is open for business, and that the Manitoba Hydro contract proves it," Cooter added.
There had been speculations that the fear of losing in court and a likely setback for the power sector reforms may have informed the decision of President Goodluck Jonathan to reverse a termination of the management contract of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to Manitoba said to be a fiat accompli and waiting for a formal announcement last week.
Manitoba Hydro had threatened to go to court to seek redress in the event of an eventual cancellation of its $23.7 million contract to run the TCN for three years which formally commenced on September, 1, 2012.
