A former military administrator of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Umar (retd.), on Monday asked the Federal Government to investigate the role played by President Olusegun Obasanjo in the privatisation programme. Umar said the investigation should be concluded in Obasanjo’s lifetime.
Umar who ruled Kaduna State between 1985 and 1988, in a statement in Kaduna, wondered why all the major initiatives embarked upon by the Obasanjo administration from 1999 to 2007 “have been such spectacular failures.”
He said, “Indeed not a few Nigerians are keen to know why all the major initiatives embarked upon during the eight years Chief Obasanjo ruled the country – privatisation, power sector reforms, alienation of Federal Government Properties, 2003 general elections, 2007 general elections, etc. – have been such spectacular failures.
“The Federal Government owes it to posterity to order for an investigation into these disasters immediately and not to wait a day longer. To wait until Chief Obasanjo might have died (as all of us will, some day) would expose it to charges of wickedness. When that happens, it would have no coherent defence.”
An ad hoc committee of the Senate is currently investigating the Federal Government’s privatisation programme from 1999 till date. Members of the committee at the weekend said they might invite Obasanjo to come and defend himself against allegations of interference in the programme levied against him by former heads of the Bureau of Public Enterprises.
A former Director-General of the BPE, Dr. Julius Bala, had alleged that the former president interfered in the sale of the Delta Steel Company by rejecting the bid won by BUA International, and promoting the bid of the Global Infrastructure Company.
One of the major discoveries of the investigation was that the Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria, which was constructed with $3.2b, was sold in 2005 to Rusal for a paltry $250m. However, Bala, explained that the Presidency acted on the advice of the National Security Adviser.
The panel was also told that the concession of the Ajaokuta Steel to Global Steel was completely handled and negotiated by the Ministry of Steel Development, under the direction of the former President. A top official, who confirmed the development, then told the committee that it was a violation of the Privatisation Act. Also, Obasanjo’s name came up during the session on the sale of NICON Insurance to Global Fleet.
Another former DG of the BPE, Nasir El-Rufai, also said that government interference was a major problem for the privatisation exercise. He alleged that Obasanjo “practically blocked the sale of Nigeria Airways.” He also mentioned that the former President and former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar, made efforts to influence the privatisation process.
Umar left the Nigerian Army in 1993 in protest of the annulment of the June 12 presidential election. The election, considered the ‘freest and fairest’ in the country was annulled by the man who made Umar an administrator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. He has remained a social critic since then.
He said revelations that emanated from the Senate hearings on the government’s privatisation exercise had left many Nigerians “sick with outrage.”
His statement reads in part, “Even for a people long used to the shenanigans of bureaucrats and the frequent scandals within government, the revelations from the just concluded Senate hearings into the implementation of the privatisation programme since 1999, have left many Nigerians sick with outrage. The shock comes not from hearing that mistakes have been made but from the fact that the mistakes were probably the result of widespread conspiracy.
“Even more telling is the attempt by some of the officials to obfuscate the issues, believing obviously that the public lack the capacity to tell an honest mistake from a swindle when they see one.”
A Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, at the public hearing, had told the committee that it would be failing in its duty if it did not invite Obasanjo to clarify issues following the allegations levelled against him.
Umar agreed. He said, “No matter how hard they tried to sound civil and non-alarmist, witness after witness that had come before the Senate AdHoc Committee ended up giving evidence that showed our privatization project is all but a fool’s errand. Almost without exception, the witnesses stressed one recurring issue: that implementation of the privatisation scheme since 1999 has been characterised by bad faith, depredation, embezzlement, fraud, swindle and at, times, outright theft by officials and clients alike.
“Often, the details cited are truly horrendous. But, let’s face it; much of it is hardly new. Over the years, many public policy analysts, newspaper columnists, NGOs and a host of whistleblowers had suspected mischief and have made spirited efforts to persuade the Federal Government to investigate the privatisation process.
“The Senate should therefore be commended for responding to this outcry even at this late hour. One would earnestly hope that the exercise is not one of the usual gimmicks designed to douse public agitations. For the sake of the present and future generations of our countrymen, this is one enquiry which needs to be carried out to its logical conclusion.”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayUmar who ruled Kaduna State between 1985 and 1988, in a statement in Kaduna, wondered why all the major initiatives embarked upon by the Obasanjo administration from 1999 to 2007 “have been such spectacular failures.”
He said, “Indeed not a few Nigerians are keen to know why all the major initiatives embarked upon during the eight years Chief Obasanjo ruled the country – privatisation, power sector reforms, alienation of Federal Government Properties, 2003 general elections, 2007 general elections, etc. – have been such spectacular failures.
“The Federal Government owes it to posterity to order for an investigation into these disasters immediately and not to wait a day longer. To wait until Chief Obasanjo might have died (as all of us will, some day) would expose it to charges of wickedness. When that happens, it would have no coherent defence.”
An ad hoc committee of the Senate is currently investigating the Federal Government’s privatisation programme from 1999 till date. Members of the committee at the weekend said they might invite Obasanjo to come and defend himself against allegations of interference in the programme levied against him by former heads of the Bureau of Public Enterprises.
A former Director-General of the BPE, Dr. Julius Bala, had alleged that the former president interfered in the sale of the Delta Steel Company by rejecting the bid won by BUA International, and promoting the bid of the Global Infrastructure Company.
One of the major discoveries of the investigation was that the Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria, which was constructed with $3.2b, was sold in 2005 to Rusal for a paltry $250m. However, Bala, explained that the Presidency acted on the advice of the National Security Adviser.
The panel was also told that the concession of the Ajaokuta Steel to Global Steel was completely handled and negotiated by the Ministry of Steel Development, under the direction of the former President. A top official, who confirmed the development, then told the committee that it was a violation of the Privatisation Act. Also, Obasanjo’s name came up during the session on the sale of NICON Insurance to Global Fleet.
Another former DG of the BPE, Nasir El-Rufai, also said that government interference was a major problem for the privatisation exercise. He alleged that Obasanjo “practically blocked the sale of Nigeria Airways.” He also mentioned that the former President and former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar, made efforts to influence the privatisation process.
Umar left the Nigerian Army in 1993 in protest of the annulment of the June 12 presidential election. The election, considered the ‘freest and fairest’ in the country was annulled by the man who made Umar an administrator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. He has remained a social critic since then.
He said revelations that emanated from the Senate hearings on the government’s privatisation exercise had left many Nigerians “sick with outrage.”
His statement reads in part, “Even for a people long used to the shenanigans of bureaucrats and the frequent scandals within government, the revelations from the just concluded Senate hearings into the implementation of the privatisation programme since 1999, have left many Nigerians sick with outrage. The shock comes not from hearing that mistakes have been made but from the fact that the mistakes were probably the result of widespread conspiracy.
“Even more telling is the attempt by some of the officials to obfuscate the issues, believing obviously that the public lack the capacity to tell an honest mistake from a swindle when they see one.”
A Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, at the public hearing, had told the committee that it would be failing in its duty if it did not invite Obasanjo to clarify issues following the allegations levelled against him.
Umar agreed. He said, “No matter how hard they tried to sound civil and non-alarmist, witness after witness that had come before the Senate AdHoc Committee ended up giving evidence that showed our privatization project is all but a fool’s errand. Almost without exception, the witnesses stressed one recurring issue: that implementation of the privatisation scheme since 1999 has been characterised by bad faith, depredation, embezzlement, fraud, swindle and at, times, outright theft by officials and clients alike.
“Often, the details cited are truly horrendous. But, let’s face it; much of it is hardly new. Over the years, many public policy analysts, newspaper columnists, NGOs and a host of whistleblowers had suspected mischief and have made spirited efforts to persuade the Federal Government to investigate the privatisation process.
“The Senate should therefore be commended for responding to this outcry even at this late hour. One would earnestly hope that the exercise is not one of the usual gimmicks designed to douse public agitations. For the sake of the present and future generations of our countrymen, this is one enquiry which needs to be carried out to its logical conclusion.”
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please and please,our leaders,you owe it to you,us and the future generation,to leave your footprint in the sands of time and do what is right with the vote you have obtained.
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