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Dispute over Pentascope may affect NITEL Prospects
By Tom Chiahemen
SeniorCorrespondent,
Abuja
Prospects of both the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) and
its subsidiary the Mobile Telecommunications Limited (Mtel) are being
diminished by the negative debate over the management contract with Pentascope.
The concern was expressed at the weekend by Mtel board Chairman Halita
Aliyu, who lamented in Abuja that the controversy undermines the confidence of
investors and leaders alike, and warned that this could affect the value of
NITEL and Mtel, both of which have been slated for sale.
Aliyu spoke during the visit of members of the Senate Committee on
Communications to Mtel headquartersas part of their oversight functions. She
acknowledged that there are issues to be redressed in the contract, but called
for their speedy resolution �so that government stated objectives and returns
on investments will be realised�.
Last week, the House of Representatives queried the contract, saying the
choice of Pentascope was not the best option for turning around the fortunes of
the company to prepare it for privatisation.
Aliyu�s warning came shortly after the Senate committee members
expressed disappointment over the failure of the NITEL management to attend to
them at the headquarters where they had gone as part of their official visit to
agencies in the Communications Ministry.
They were led by committee Chairman Baba Tela and had arrived the office
at about 1.45 p.m. after visiting the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST)
headquarters.
Although the NITEL management had a foreknowledge of the visit, there
was nobody on hand to receive the senators.
Even without any senior NITEL official in sight, the committee members
climbed the staircase to the executive floor, only to be stranded. Attempts to
locate the office or whereabouts of the Dutch Chief Executive Officer (CEO),
Rein Zwolsman, yielded no result and no other employee seemed to appreciate the
presence of the legislators.
Feeling that they had been deliberately snubbed, the senators boarded
their vehicles and headed forMtel headquarters. They said they were socked and
embarrassed.
It was while the lawmakers were making the exit that NITEL Deputy
General Manager (Corporate Communications) Tayo Ekundayo, who had earlier met
with them at the ministry, looked through a window and waved and yelled for
them to return.
He pursued them to their next port of call, Mtel, and explained that the
incident was caused byhitches in communication as well as the movement of the
visitors.
�We have
already written an apology letter to the Senate committee and I can swear that
we didn�t do this deliberately, as we had no reason on earth to snub or ignore
the distinguished senators�, Ekundayo told newsmen, brandishing a three-page
hand-written draft of the letter.
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