For pupils of Zaria Community School, Jaja, the days of sitting on bare floors and crowded benches are over.
On Wednesday, October 7, 2026, contractors handling the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s NTEP-TS1 Lot 1 project, financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), walked into the school with a truckload of brand-new classroom furniture — desks and chairs that immediately transformed learning. It was more than a donation. It was a direct investment in the host community that has hosted the transmission expansion corridor.
Handing over the furniture, the Principal Manager, Project Management Team (PMT), Kaduna Sub-Region, Engr. Onaga Jacob Ugochukwu, said the gesture goes beyond Corporate Social Responsibility.
“When we build transmission lines, we are building for the community. When we equip their classrooms, we are building the community itself,” he said. “A child who learns in comfort learns better, and that child may become the engineer who maintains these lines tomorrow.” The excitement was palpable as pupils scrambled to take their new seats, running their hands over polished desks.
Receiving the furniture, the District Head of Jaja, Alhaji Abdullahi Muhammed, did not hide his emotion. “This is what partnership looks like,” he declared. “TCN and AfDB through the contractors, did not just pass through our land with towers and lines. They remembered our children. For this, Jaja will continue to stand as guardian of this project and its facilities.” He pledged the community’s continued cooperation and protection of power infrastructure in the area.
Also at the handover were Principal Manager, Health, Safety and Environment (HSE), Ahmed Rufai Sani, and Senior Manager, Engr. Afeez Kareem, of the Project Implementation Unit (PIU), Corporate Headquarters.
For TCN, the message from Jaja is clear, that transmission expansion is not just about wheeling power. It is also about empowering people.
