Yemisi Izuora
The federal government is about conducting an assessment of its privatization policy to determine the extent to which it has provided the needed buffer to the economy.
The exercise will further determine the success of the initiative and if adjustment is required.
To this end, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) is collaborating with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and Nigeria Institute of Social and Economics Research (NISER) to conduct an Impact Assessment on some selected Privatised Enterprises under the reform and privatisation programme of the Federal Government.
Director General of the BPE, Mr. Alex A. Okoh, who made this known at the inaugural meeting of the Assessment Technical Working Group (ATeWG), said the essence is to enable the Federal Government showcase the impact or otherwise of the Privatisation programme.
The Director General who was represented by the Director of Development Institutions and Natural Resources Department (DI & NR) in the Bureau, Mr. Joe Anichebe noted that after three decades of the privatisation programme, the Bureau deemed it necessary to review the performances of the privatised enterprises to ascertain whether or not the targeted objectives of the programme have been achieved.
The Assessment Technical Group which is chaired by a Deputy Director in the Bureau, Mr. Adbdul-Azeez Mu’azu Mafindi, has membership drawn from the NISER, NBS and BPE. The group is to carry out neutral assessment of the Bureau’s concluded transactions to showcase the achievements and challenges encountered by the privatised enterprises as well as monitor the growth, efficiency of privatised enterprises.
It is also to evaluate and assess the effectiveness of privatised enterprises using relevant and accurate data used in planning effective interventions.
Assessment Study will be carried out on six sectors namely; The Telecommunications Sector, Maritime Sector (Ports), Eleme Petrochemicals Company, Cement Companies, Ground Handling companies (NAHCOL & SAHCOL), and the Hospitality Sector.
Mr. Louis Chete, representative of the NISER thanked the BPE for the initiative and promised to work with the Bureau to achieve the desired goal.
Amina Tukur Othman