ABUJA— Senate President, David Mark, yesterday, assured that the Senate will not bow to pressures as it commences consideration of the Ad hoc Committee on Privatization that recommended the sack of Director-General of Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE, Ms. Bolanle Onagoruwa.
Senator Mark’s remarks came following the presentation of the report to the Senate on Tuesday by the Committee chairman, Senator Ahmed Lawan.
The report, a product of three months painstaking investigations into the privatization activities of BPE by the committee, also indicted three former directors-general of BPE, including Malam Nasir El-Rufai; Dr. Julius Bala and Mrs. Irene Chigbue, for alleged complicities in the sale of government enterprises.
Though Mark stated that the Senate will expedite action on the report to avoid blackmail and insinuations from the public, it was however suspended to next Wednesday to allow Senators digest the information in it.
He said, “If we did not take the report today, there will be all kinds of blackmail, insinuations and innuendoes. This is a sensitive report and there will be a lot of pressure.
“There is no ethnicity, we will take our time to look at the report, but no politics will stop us from doing the right thing.”
Despite the assurances from the Senate President, there were discordant tones from Senators when Senator Lawan read out the recommendations.
The recommendations also include rescinding of sale of sale of Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Sheraton, and Nicon Luxury Hotel, Daily Times, ALSCON, Delta Steel and the sugar companies.
While reading the recommendations, Senator Lawan pointed out that the privatization exercise was not a total failure as port concessions, petrochemicals and cement sectors are doing well, while some critical sectors such as the steel, automobile and sugar had totally failed.
According to him, “From the findings, there was inadequate transparency and failure to comply with privatisation procedure in the sale of some public enterprises.
“The committee also found that in the sales and concession of some enterprises, the process was marred by political interference and injustice. For example, in Aluminum Smelter Company and Apapa Port Terminal “C” concession, the processes were unjustifiably interfered with.”
Lawan noted that there challenges in the course of the investigation, noting that there was non-availability of employment data, deliberate misinformation and hostile attitude on the part of BPE and some core investors.
On a final note, he advised strict adherence to due process in the privatization exercise noting that compliance to due process would go a long way in restoring investor’s confidence in Nigeria.
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