Jonathan shops for power minister, TCN board chairman

 

• May clear confusion over Manitoba contract Tuesday

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has begun a move to resolve the crisis in the electricity sector, which was signalled last week with the alleged termination of the Manitoba contract.

However, the President during a media chat on Sunday said that the contract was not revoked.

It was learnt at the weekend that the President plans to fill two critical vacancies in the electricity sector, namely those of the power minister and chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to work with Manitoba.

The confusion in the electricity sector may be cleared today as the President is said to have asked for the files on power sector projects to be on his table this week.

There were earlier speculations that the issue of the minister of power has been resolved with the deployment of former Minister of State, Niger Delta Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Ibrahim Kuchi, as Minister of State. Some observers saw the action as an indication that the President may have decided to hold on to the position of minister of power while Kuchi and the Presidential Task Force on Power (PTFP) would do the ‘field work.’

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