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OBJ, Atiku killed privatisation – El-Rufai

El-Rufai who was the Director-General of BPE from 1999 to 2003 noted that the decline of the privatisation programme started when somebody who had earlier been sacked by the BPE, was brought to replace him.

He said that he repeatedly disagreed with the former President when he made moves to dictate to him. He said he also disagreed with Atiku Abubakar when he (Rufai) insisted that the laws must be followed, even as he said that former President Obasanjo blocked the successful privatization of Nigeria Airways following the stories he received from former Minister of Aviation, Chief Kema Chikwe.

Probe targeted me —el-Rufai

El-Rufai who appeared before the Committee at 3.11p.m and was left to go at 4.15 pm., said: “All I can say is that during my tenure in BPE we tried to do everything by the law. We tried to resist any attempt at political interference. There was never a time that either President Obasanjo or Atiku Abubakar told me to sell an enterprise  to A or B  and I listened.

We follow due process. Privatisation was a mechanical process and there was never a time that we deviated from that process. In the 33 transactions that we did we followed the book. If there were lapses that came after I left it was because authorities appointed people that did not understand what privatisation was about but saw BPE as cash cow. Before I left the President called me and said now that you are going to FCT how can we continue what you have started.

The President and I were always quarrelling over privatisation. On Nigeria Airways we quarrelled on the pages of newspapers but he called me and said you have done a decent job give us idea of who should be appointed.  I then wrote a memo addressed to the vice president and suggested that my successors should come  from within because we have spent a lot of  money to train them. I recommended three directors and three deputy directors.

The government of the day decided they were not going to appoint anybody from inside BPE. They brought someone who literarily was fired from BPE and that was the beginning of discarding of rules, doing things capriciously promoting people from one level to three levels and the institution have suffered from it since then. You should have a session with the BPE staff themselves they were 120 in number.

OBASANJO RUINED PRIVATIZATION -EL RUFAI | NBF NEWS, FREE HOT ...

Friday, August 12, 2011

Former boss of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mallam Nasir el- Rufai, yesterday in Abuja revealed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo allegedly ignored an advice to appoint his successor from within the agency.

The former BPE Director-General was testifying before the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation probing the sale of Federal Government companies. It was on the fourth day of the investigation by the Upper Legislative Chamber of the role of the BPE in the sale of the firms from 1999 till date. The committee yesterday ordered the arrest of Chairman of Transcorp Hilton Plc, Otunba Funso Lawal for failing to appear before it. El-Rufai told the Senator Ahmed Lawan-led committee yesterday that based on the quality of training of the BPE staffers, the former president had no reason to look elsewhere for his successor.

He recounted how, against advice, Obasanjo allegedly appointed a former director of the BPE, who was investigated and sacked from the same agency over alleged corruption. Dr Julius Bala succeeded el-Rufai at the BPE in 2003. “I suggested to Obasanjo when I was leaving that my successor should come from within the BPE because we spent a lot to train people. But the government decided not to appoint anybody from within BPE and went outside to bring someone who was literally fired from BPE to head the same organization.

“That was the beginning of BPE’s problem except (on) the occasion where Obasanjo blocked the privatization of Nigeria Airways and the result is the demise of the national carrier now. “Nobody interfered with our activities. We ran a transparent organization, we never investigated anybody for corruption. But somebody we fired due to corruption ended up heading the BPE.

“The legal framework for privatization can be improved. We need to have the right people in BPE and protect them from political interference.” Meanwhile, the Bachama Consultative Forum of Adamawa State, host community of the Savannah Sugar Company Limited in Numan, have appealed to the committee to help resuscitate the 40-year-old company. The Bachama Forum told the Senate panel that the privatization of the sugar company rather than being a blessing, “has turned out to be a curse.”

They urged the Senate to revoke the sale. He said: “We have the power to issue warrants. Where is Transcorp? Secretariat, please, issue a warrant. Get Transcorp boss arrested. Whoever thinks we are joking here will have himself to blame. Please, liaise with the Sergeant-At-Arms.

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