We’re not aware of planned sale of national assets – Senate

The Senate on Tuesday said it was not aware of the planned arrangement by the Bureau of Public Enterprises to either concession or put for outright sale, some national assets to fund the 2021 federal budget.

The BPE had announced plans to sell off Geregu, Omotosho and Calabar power plants to core investors and concession national stadia, the National Art Theater and Tafawa Balewa Square next year.

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This was contained in a document presented by Alex Okoh, BPE Director-General, to the Senate Committee on Privatization and Commercialization during budget defence session.

But the chairman of the committee, Senator Theodore Orji, told newsmen that none of the committee members was carried along when the arrangements to either sell off or concession the national assets were made.

Orji said: “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 the pages of newspapers.

“We were never briefed by the management of the BPE. We were not there when the necessary documents were signed. We were never invited at all.”