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Fred Itua, Abuja
The Senate, yesterday, rejected plans to sell and concession national assets in order to fund part of the 2021 budget.
Speaking on plans by Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), chairman, Senate Committee on Privatisation, Theodore Orji, said his committee was not aware of such a plan.
Orji further disclosed that the committee was not carried along in the plan, adding that they would ascertain whether due proces was followed in the sales of national assets.
He said that the committee would scrutinise the papers to see whether they were fair or ridiculous in the sales.
“The position of the Senate Committee on Privatization is that we are not aware of the planned arrangement by the Bureau of Public Enterprises to either concession or put for outright sale of some national assets in order to fund the 2021 federal budget.
“I also believe that the Senate Committee on Privatisation should be carried along when most of the arrangements to either sell or concession our national assets are made so that we would be aware.”
“Let me assure Nigerians that there is no member of the Senate Committee on privatisation that knows about all these things except they read it on pages of newspapers. We were never briefed by the management of BPE. We were not there when the necessary documents were signed. We were never invited at all.
“Senate would scrutinize every step being taken to sell any public asset. We want to assure Nigerians that the committee will carry out its functions by summoning the DG, BPE. We would demand for all documents relating to the entire transactions. We would ascertain whether due process were followed. We would also look at the amount that the BPE put up the assets for, either outright sale or concession. We would scrutinise the papers to see whether they are fair or ridiculous amounts because what Nigeria as a nation needs now, is money.”
