Why Obasanjo Dissolved NCP
From Cletus Akwaya in Abuja
The dissolution Monday, of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) chaired by Vice President Atiku Abubakar on the orders of President Olusegun Obasanjo may have been to pave way for a new structure of the council as contained in the amendments to the Privati-sation Act now awaiting presidential assent.
Presidency sources told THISDAY yesterday that Obasanjo dissolved the council in anticipation of the signing into law of the bill any moment from now. The bill to amend the Privatisation Act, already passed by the Senate and concurred by the House of Representatives, is awaiting presidential assent.
With the amended Act making the NCP chairman a Nigerian of high integrity who should not be a Federal Government official, the Vice President would cease to chair the council.
THISDAY was also told that the hurried dissolution of the council ahead of the assent was to provide a more dignified exit for Atiku who would have to step down the moment the bill is signed into law.
Also, the sources said government was no longer comfortable with the continued membership on the council of the president of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Adams Oshiomhole, as a result of Labour's strike in protest against the deregulation of the downstream sector.
The decision, which was conveyed to members of NCP at their 35th meeting Monday, was without notice. A source at the meeting told THISDAY," the Vice President came into the meeting and after the opening prayer, told members that the NCP has been dissolved after his consultation with the President, he then thanked members for their contributions."
The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), the secretariat to the Council, confirmed this yesterday. In a statement signed by Mr. Charles Odenigbo, Head of Communications and Marketing, BPE said "the Federal Government thanked members of the council for their contribution to the economic reforms of the government in the last four years," adding, " a new council will be re-constituted in due course."
Apart from the Vice President, other statutory members of the dissolved NCP include the ministers of Finance, Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Industry, Power and Steel, National Planning, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria.
Others are special adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, four appointees from the private sector and the Director General of BPE who serves as Secretary to the Council.
In the just dissolved Council, the four persons appointed from the private sector were Oshiomhole representing organised Labour, Mr. Akin Kekere-Ekun, Managing Director of Habib (Nigeria) Bank, representing the finance sector, Engr. AGK Onyia, representing oil and gas sector and a representative of the National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA).
Some of the functions and powers of the council include to determine the political, economic and social objectives of privatisation and commercialisation of public enterprises; approve policies, guidelines and criteria for valuation of public enterprises for privatisation and choice of strategic investors; approve public enterprises to be privatised and advise government on whether the shares of a listed public enterprise should be by public or privates issue.
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