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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The National Council on Privatization (NCP), chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has approved the sum of N1.371 billion for the settlement of outstanding redundancy benefits owed to the workers in an effort to offer relief and ensure the payment of their entitlements as ex-workers of aviation ground handling service provider Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc (SAHCO).
According to a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande, this was one of the highlights of the 6th meeting of the Council last Friday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He explained that the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr Alex Okoh, had presented a memo to Council seeking its approval for the payment of the sum due to ex-SAHCO workers.
He also informed the Council of the notice of “peaceful protest” received from ex-workers of SAHCO, who are also members of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSAN), on account of the non-payment of their outstanding severance entitlements after the disengagement of the workers from the company following its privatization in 2009.
“After deliberation on the matter, the Council gave the approval for the outstanding severance entitlements of the ex-workers to be paid”, Akande said.
The Council also received an update on the development of a 1,650 Mega Watts Hydro Power Plant in Makurdi, Benue State, particularly the inauguration of the Project Steering Committee and the proposed publication on the Expression of Interest for the engagement of a Transaction Adviser for the project.
As regards the update on the concession of the Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant, the Council was informed that Requests for Qualification (RfQs) were received from 11 Consortiums, out of which 3 (NSP Consortium, Mainstream Energy and Africa Plus Partners) were shortlisted present proposals for the concession.
On the restructuring of the Kano, Benin, Kaduna, Ibadan, and Port Harcourt DisCos, Council was informed that the notifications of change of Directors for all the DisCos had been filed at the Corporate Affairs Commission, while the BPE has issued guidelines to the banks/lenders for the sale of their 60% shares in the assets.
Council also received updates on the sale of five (5) NIPP Power Plants, particularly the engagements with the Nigerian Governors Forum on the NIPP transaction, and the resolution by the governors to constitute a committee to review the transaction and revert to the Bureau.
“The Council expressed satisfaction with the BPE’s handling of the engagements with the governors on the sale of the NIPP and the Federal Government’s 40% interest in the Aba Ring-Fenced area”, the presidential media aide said.
In attendance were council members including Ministers of Power, Alhaji Abubakar Aliyu; Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed; the Director-General of the BPE, Mr Alex Okoh; representatives of Federal Ministry of Justice, heads of relevant MDAs and other senior government officials.
In his remarks, Shehu urged the vice president to back the commission’s efforts to digitize its operations, notably the effective distribution of money to the three levels of government in accordance with the commission’s Act setting it up.
He noted that the paucity of funds was affecting the commission’s oversight on revenue-generating government agencies and general migration from manual to digital operations, while he also outlined the implications of the development on the revenues of the federation and the economy.
