The Senate has said it was not carried along in the planned arrangement by the Federal Government, through its Bureau of Public Enterprises, to either sell or concession some national assets in order to fund part of the 2021 budget.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatisation, Senator Theodore Orji, said this in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said the position of the Senate Committee on Privatisation was: “We are not aware of the planned arrangement by the Bureau of Public Enterprises to either concession or put for outright sale, some national assets in the country in order to fund the 2021 federal budget.”
The Federal Government had concluded plans to sell the nation’s Integrated Power Plants in Geregu, Omotosho and Calabar at N434bn in 2021.
It had also concluded arrangements for the concession of National Art Theatre, Tafawa Balewa Square and all the River Basin Development Authorities at N836m.
Necessary plans had been concluded for the concession of the National Stadium in Lagos, the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja, and two others for N100m.
Information on the planned sales and concession of the national assest was contained in a document presented by the Bureau of Public Enterprises obtained by our correspondent on Sunday.
The Director General of BPE, Alex Okoh, presented the documents to the Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation during the 2021 budget defence sessions.
But Orji denied knowledge of the entire plan while speaking with journalists on Tuesday.
He said, “During the BPE budget defence before my committee, I complained bitterly that the relationship between our committee and the BPE, has not been very cordial due to the behaviour of the DG, BPE.
“This is a man that if we call him on phone, he would not answer and if we send him a text message, he would not reply. How then does he want us to communicate?”
He added that there should be a synergy between the Senate or its committee on privatisation and the BPE.
