Transco contract cancellation adds to doubts over Nigerian power privatisation

The approval of winning bidders for the privatisation of generation and distribution companies was a step forward for Nigeria’s electricity industry, but the subsequent stripping of Manitoba Hydro’s transmission management contract could represent two steps back. The creation of a new Nigerian industry may yet beckon, but allegations of cronyism, if not outright corruption, in some concession areas can only add to the mood of never-ending crisis, write David Slater and Jon Marks.