Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has said that there is hand of God in the success his government achieved with particular reference to peace that the people in the state have enjoyed. Uduaghan said today in Asaba at a special thanksgiving service of the Government House Family to celebrate God’s Goodness on his administration for the past eight years at the Government House Chapel, that prayers for God’s control in the affairs of the state have been the secret. The governor gave all glory to God for the great stride the state had made in all facet of human endeavours, even as he thanked all the clergymen and prayer warriors for being steadfast in prayer for the state. He commended the Government House family too for supporting his administration with prayer in the last eight years. The governor also remembered the prayers offered by members of the Alter of New Beginning, and added: “the incoming administration will continue on this path of prayers for peace in the state.” Governor Uduaghan said that he is leaving a legacy of peace for the state and hoped that the in-coming administration would try to sustain this peace with prayers. According to him, direct investments have increased in the state as a result of the peace in the state, adding: “I pray that the peace God has granted the state will continue to be sustained.
“Foreign Direct Investment can only come into the state when there is peace and security. I thank God today that the era of war, kidnapping and robbery is over in the state as it had massive effects on investments.” Dr. Uduaghan emphasized that for peace to continue, people must pray and supplicate on behalf of the state. The chaplain of the chapel, Rev. Ben Golley expressed gratitude to God for his goodness and kindness, adding that governor Uduaghan, his family and members of his administration have every reason to thank God for his goodness to them in the last eight years. He said that the governor’s developmental strides and achievements could be attributed to God’s power and goodness in his life. [myad]
Workers of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), today, embarked on sit-at-home strike in protest against the refusal of the minister of the territory, Bala Mohammed, to settle their three years “13th month” allowances as he prepares to quit office in three days time. Worse hit by the strike today were the public primary and secondary schools which were completely shut down as teachers and administrative staff stayed at home. One of the aggrieved workers told our correspondent that workers were also protesting the minister’s claimed ignorance of the recent promotional interviews conducted for many workers in the territory. Though officials of the workers’ unions were not immediately available for comment on the sudden strike action, but a strong union member in FCT said that the protest is to show the workers’ anger and dissatisfaction to Bala Mohammed as he prepares to leave office on Friday. He said that the strike is also meant to register the workers’ grievances for the incoming government “about how we have been cheated for long.” Efforts to get the official version of the crisis, including phone calls to special assistant to the minister of media, Nosike Ogbuenyi proved abortive as he did not pick the calls, neither did he respond to text messages. [myad]
Chairman of River state APC, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya
All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has expressed happiness over the resounding victory achieved by its candidates in the 22 local government councils in the state in the Saturday polls, conducted across the state. According to the party in a statement, the following candidates won the Saturday elections against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in their respective council areas: 1. August P. Ngo for Abuja/Odual 2. Sule Atago for Ahoada East 3. Samuel Eyiba for Ahoada West 4. Benibo Stanley for Akuku-Toru 5. Imie Benson for Andoni 6. Fred Vincent Fred-Horsefall for Asari Toru 7. Omuso G. Abbey for Bonny 8. Eli Sogbeye C. for Degema 9. Fineman Olungwe for Eleme 10. Worlu Lucky C for Emohua 11. Barr Reginald Ukwuoma for Etche 12. Badom Donatus for Gokana 13. Celestine Akpobari for Khana 14. Nnanta Gabriel Weli for Obio/Akpor 15. Oluo Anthony Chidi for Omuma 16. NathanielA Iringeri for Ogu/Bolo 17. Jaja Loveday Michael for Opobo/Nkoro 18. Opi Nengaomie Samuel for Okrika 19. Chief Kingsley A. Nwogu for Oyigbo 20. Bestman Amadi O.A for Ikwerre 21. Chimbiko Iche Akarolo for Phalga 22. Barizasi-Jane Felicia Nyaagbo for Tai The State, signed by the party Chairman in the state, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, thanked the electorate for overwhelmingly voting for the party in the elections, describing their action as an endorsement of the eight years administration of out-going Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. The said that the decision by the Amaechi administration to organise the council polls as not only timely but also an affirmation of his status as a true democrat. “Not minding the opposition of by the PDP leadership in Rivers State, Governor Amaechi has once again, true to his political sagacity, proved that he is in charge of the politics of Rivers State. The successful conduct of the polls and the eager acceptance of the 22 candidates fielded by APC by the people of Rivers State has once more demonstrated that Rivers State is an APC State.” The party congratulated the State electorate for having faith in it by electing all the 22 candidates it presented. “We wish to reassure the good people of Rivers State that with the calibre of candidates so elected, the APC revolution at the various local government areas is about to take off. With this election, the State has finally buried the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a political party and by the time we have a re-run governorship election the PDP will be formally nailed.” The statement said that with the successful conduct of the council polls, the State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has showed that it has a lot to teach the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers State in the art of conducting credible elections. “RSIEC’s transparent conduct of the council polls proves that conducting a credible election is not rocket science and that that both the State Resident Electoral Commissioner and most of the Directors ought to be in prison than moving around freely on account of the charade which they foisted on Rivers State on March 28 and April 11 in the name of elections.” The party praised the strategy adopted by the police to checkmate the killing squad of PDP during the council polls, “which simply shows that the Nigeria Police will perform wonders if allowed to act professionally by the powers that be. “We commend the police and wish that they continue to act in this manner for the greatness of our nation.” APC advised the newly elected Council Chairmen to promote security and the development of their various areas and implement the party’s manifesto. [myad]
Members of the United States bomb squad were quickly on hand yesterday to safely destroy a pressure cooker, a dangerous explosive, found in a “suspicious” vehicle left unattended very close to the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol building. Reports said that the vehicle’s owner was located and arrested.
Authorities have noted that pressure cookers have been used in the past to create explosive devices. Three people were killed and more than 260 others wounded in April 2013 when two pressure-cooker bombs were set off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon
Police Lt. Kimberly A. Schneider told reporters that Capitol Police officers on routine patrol spotted the parked, unoccupied vehicle on a street on the mall west of the Capitol around 5 p.m on Sunday.
“Further investigation revealed a pressure cooker, and an odor of gasoline was detected,” Schneider said, adding that a Capitol Police bomb squad was called in because the vehicle was deemed “suspicious in nature.”
She said the squad, known as the Hazardous Devices Section, destroyed “items of concern in the vehicle, including the pressure cooker” at about 7:45 p.m. after temporarily closing off the area on the long Memorial Day holiday weekend. She did not immediately identify the other items but said only that “this safe disruption produced a loud ‘bang.’
Asked by AP if the “disruption” involved controlled detonation of the items, she said that was accurate. She also said that follow-up searching of the vehicle detected “nothing hazardous.” Her email said the suspicious vehicle was investigated during a Memorial Day Concert in Washington though it was unclear how many people were nearby at the time.
She said the bomb squad intervention came after authorities had set up a security perimeter around the site on 3rd Street in the nation’s capital. She said that street was temporarily closed between Independence Avenue and Constitution Avenue while authorities investigated.
After the pressure cooker was destroyed, she said, police conducted a thorough “hand search” of the vehicle and concluded their investigation by about 8:20 p.m. “with negative results and nothing hazardous found.”
Asked whether police had specifically identified any threat to public safety, Schneider said: “If we can’t determine whether or not an item is safe/dangerous, we’d have to treat it as dangerous until we determine otherwise. She added that was “why the items were safely disrupted, out of an abundance of caution.” She didn’t elaborate.
She added that the vehicle owner was located and her statement identified him as Israel Shimeles of the Washington suburb of Alexandria, Virginia. The statement said Shimeles was arrested by Capitol Police and charged with “Operating After Revocation” and that he was being processed Sunday evening at the police headquarters building.
It wasn’t immediately known if he had an attorney. Schneider didn’t elaborate on the charge.
Schneider also said the city’s Metropolitan Police, U.S. Park Police, the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force were assisting Capitol Police. [myad]
The decision by the Federal government to sell Nigerian Telecommunication Limited (NITEL) and its Subsidiary, Nigerian Mobile Telecommunication Limited (MTEL) in what was termed ‘guided liquidation’ by the Bureau for public enterprises (BPE) was rushed to completion by the Jonathan government with the announcement some time ago of payment by NATCOM Consortium, the bid winner of the remaining seventy per cent (70%) of the bid price of $252.25 million dollars. The liquidation process was the last ditch attempt made by the Federal government to finally sell NITEL/MTEL that has witnessed several failed attempts in the past to privatise the moribund federal government establishment.
My intention here is not to dwell on the various unsuccessful attempts to sell the company by the federal government but to highlight the shocking and startling revelations on the guided liquidation process of NITEL /MTEL which resulted in the sale of the government establishment to NATCOM Consortium at a ridiculous price of $252.25 million dollars. The liquidation process of NITEL/MTEL was anything but transparent. As the name of the effort to sell the establishment suggests, the guided liquidation process was ‘’guided’’ by some government officials to handover the national asset to few cronies of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. I was motivated, in putting up this piece, by the highest patriotic desire to draw public attention to the handover of the government owned establishment belonging to all Nigerians to few cronies of President Jonathan’s government at very ridiculous price to the detriment of the supreme national interest.
The information from unimpeachable sources indicate that NITEL / MTEL asset was audited by consultants who went round the whole country and, at the end put the value of the asset at the neighbourhood of $1.2billion dollars. The audit of the operational and non-operational vehicles belonging to the company were separately carried out by the appointed liquidator, Olutola Senbore & Co and were not included on the $1.2billion dollar assets the audit consultants proposed as the value of the moribund company.
NITEL /MTEL assets are huge and they include installed equipment throughout the nooks and crannies of Nigeria; digital/analogue exchanges that dot several towns, cities and villages, fiber optic cables across Nigeria and fiber optic cable rings in several cities and towns, highly valued operational licenses, landed properties in choice locations across the country and the lucrative SAT 3 under-sea cable linking Nigeria with outside world which has been operational.
An independent telecom audit firm put the value of NITEL/MTEL before the sale at $1.75billion dollars. Though the company’s operations were shut down in 2007, the fact that most of the equipment are in good condition and can be put into operational use was evident when during the auditing by the audit consultants, some of the exchanges were powered in 2014 and test calls were made successfully.
Chief Olatunde Ayeni, the promoter of NATCOM Consortium, the buyer of NITEL/MTEL is also the chairman of Skye Bank, the same man that donated huge sums of money to PDP 2015 presidential campaign fund,raising at the Villa. He had also donated huge sums of money to several PDP campaign fund raising activities in the run up to the 2015 general elections. Chief Olatunde Ayeni is widely believed to be fronting for President Jonathan, the Vice President Namadi Sambo, that also doubles as chairman of National Council of privatization (NCP) and other PDP big wigs. The rush at which the outgoing government of President Jonathan made to quickly conclude the liquidation of NITEL/MTEL and handed over the company to NATCOM Consortium has left no one in doubt that there are shady deals that Dr. Jonathan government officials wanted to cover up on the huge NITEL/MTEL scam.
Does it surprise anyone that while several current issues of national importance such as fuel scarcity biting the nation hard were left unattended to by the outgoing government, the same government on the other hand made frantic efforts to quickly conclude the liquidation exercise of the establishments before the handover date of 29th of May 2015.
In a meeting held by the National Council on Privatization (NCP) on Thursday 16th April , 2015 chaired by the Vice President Namadi Sambo, it was directed that BPE should handover NITEL / MTEL to NATCOM Consortium immediately even though the bidder had not completed their payment as at that time due to exchange rate issues. The liquidator Olutola Senbore & Co was then requesting NATCOM Consortium to pay the remaining bid price at the then exchange rate. The establishment was eventually hurriedly handed over to NATCOM Consortium on 29th April, 2015
The logical and thought provoking questions Nigerians are asking and to which they deserve honest answers are as follows:
How and why the value of NITEL / MTEL was scaled down to $252.25 million dollars from the $1.2billlion dollars that the Consultants valued the company which also excluded vehicles?
Why was competitive bidding not used in the guided liquidation exercise of NITEL / MTEL and why the rush to conclude the ‘guided liquidation’ process by the current government before the handover date of 29th of May 2015?
What is the value of the operational and non-operational vehicles belonging to NITEL / MTEL and what becomes of the asset since it was not part of the value the Consultants proposed for the establishment?
Since the ‘guided liquidation’ exercise used in the NITEL/MTEL liquidation process means turning all the company assets into cash to pay up any liabilities and debt owed by the company, Nigerians want to know the full disclosure and the extent of liabilities covered by the parties involved in the liquidation exercise of the company.
There is a deep concern based on the above facts that NITEL/MTEL has been highly undervalued and that if the liquidation process is allowed to stay, Nigerians would have been brazenly cheated. Nigerians are therefore calling for a review and total cancellation of the sale of NITEL / MTEL to NATCOM Consortium and start the process of selling the company all over again and give all bidders fair and equal opportunities for the benefit of all Nigerians and the country at large.
Haruna Ikotu, project management consultant and development analyst, who studied strategic management from the University of South Africa (UNISA), sent this piece from Abuja. [myad]
Nigeria appears to be grinding to a halt as fuel scarcity lingers across the country even as oil marketers insisted that they would not go back to business until all their subsidy money is paid.
Many businesses, including airline, communications outfits and banks are now closing down until the situation returns to normal.
In a statement to its customers across the country today, one of the leading commercial banks, Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB) notified its customers of the closure of all its branched due to shortage of fuel.
The notice read: “The current shortage of petroleum products in the country has limited our ability to supply diesel to all our branches, in order to continue normal branch operations.
“Due to this, we unavoidably have to close our branches nationwide at 1pm, from tomorrow Monday, 25th May 2015.
“Whilst we have had to take this step to close branch operations early, we would like to seek your understanding at this time, and assure you that we will continue to work hard at finding alternative solutions to this situation and will advise you once the situation has abated. “However, all our alternative channels will be fully functional and available for all your Personal and Business Banking.” [myad]
PIC.1 . PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN IN A HANDSHAKE WITH THE APC VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, PROF YEMI OSINBAJO, DURING FEBRUARY HOLY GHOST SERVICE OF REDEEMED CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF GOD AT THE REDEMPTION CAMP LAGOS/IBADAN EXPRESSWAY ON FRIDAY NIGHT. 754/7/2/15/ICE/JAU/NAN
The Primate of the Anglican Church in Nigeria,Archbishop Nicholas Okoh has called on Nigerians to forgive the leaders who might have disappointed them in their stewardship. He said that it is only a free conscience, not burdened perpetually by guilt that can move the nation forward as God, the creator, always readily forgives sinners. Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, in his sermon at the interdenominational inauguration service at the National Christian Centre today as part of the activities for the inauguration of the incoming Muhammadu Buhari’s government also asked Nigerians not to despair no matter the state of affairs in the nation, but to daily endeavour to count their blessings and give thanks to God. The service also doubled as a Presidential Thanksgiving service for out-going President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience who was in attendance with some members of his cabinet. Vice President-elect, Professor Yemi Osinbajo was also at the service. The inauguration activities kicked off last Friday with a prayer service at the National Mosque, Abuja where former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, represented the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari. The theme of the service was “Give Thanks in all Circumstances’.” The service was well attended as the venue was full to capacity. In attendance were representatives of most Christian denominations, women groups, communities, voluntary organisations and students representing many educational institutions in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Archbishop Nicholas Okoh whose message substantially dwelt on the theme of forgiveness by Nigerians for one another and for the leadership, called on Nigerians to support the incoming Buhari government and to allow it time to put in place the changes and prosperity they would want to see. The first reading at the service taken from Isaiah 62: 1-7 was taken by out-going Senate President David Mark while the Vice President-elect, Professor Osinbajo took the second reading from the gospel according to Luke 17: 11-19. Prayers were held by select Christian churches for the incoming and outgoing leaders and their families as well as the various arms of government. Also present at the service were the wife of the Vice President-elect, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo, National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim and a number of Ministers as well as Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah, an APC stalwart and Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). The Choir of the host organization, the Christian Organisation of Nigeria (CAN), rendered several popular and interesting Christian songs that entertained the congregation. There were also the Bayelsa State Choir and the Port Harcourt Men’s Ensemble in attendance. [myad]
When the news first filtered out quoting governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole as having said that he met his new wife, Lara Forte as a virgin, my first reaction was to dismiss it as the concoction of some lazy journalists. That is because, there is virtually no sense in anybody bragging publicly about how he met his wife, much less a public figure like Oshiomhole who has so many official assignments before him. But true, at their wedding thanksgiving service, Oshiomhole did say “I can boldly tell all of you that I was a very principled man during my first marriage. I didn’t succumb to the worldly pleasures of this lustful environment, even though I had lots of opportunities. And it was this principled sobriety that made me fish for a virgin wife. “I can boldly say to you all that I was the first man to know her (Lara Fortes) and initiated her into the worldly ways. “This is the kind of spirit I want Edo youths to inculcate, instead of messing around and engaging in different shades of adultery and fornication.” As a matter of fact, the issue of sexual relationship between couple, in Africa culture, ought to be a purely domestic affair. No matter how the world had gone crazy by abandoning some kind of moral uprightness, we have not come to the lowly level where even a young man would take his sexual relation with his wife to a public domain. By this childish musing or boasting or both, Governor Oshiomhole has simply elevated gossip to official status, for, it is not clear what he wanted to achieve by that. Of course, what he may not know, and I am not suggesting anything negative, is that women are naturally cunning and can fake anything. They fake their hairdo, their nails, their breasts, their buttocks and even their skin colour and height. It was even a woman, who said, when she read the Oshiomhole childish excitement, that women do also fake virginity. According to her, all a woman needs to do to convince a man that she is virgin is to continue to apply certain cream everyday for three months and or certain drug, which would make her system to be so tightened that when a man wants to use her, it would burst out and ooze blood. Oshiomhole’s excitement reminds me of a middle age Nigerian who was asked to write his curriculum vitae. After putting down his educational attainments, he added with emphasis that he was blessed with eight children. One hopes that Oshiomhole would not add to his curriculum vitae that he met his second wife, after the death of the first one, a virgin? He would only be inviting laughter from those who are serious minded. [myad]
The President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari has described the death of the Chief Imam of Jos, Alhaji Balarabe Daud as another great loss not only to fellow Muslims, but also to those Nigerians who have been committed to peace and harmonious coexistence in the country. In a passionately worded statement issued in Abuja on his behalf by his media team, General Buhari recalled that Imam Balarabe Daud “was not only an outstanding teacher, preacher and a leader par excellence, but also a remarkable exponent of religious tolerance.” The statement, signed by the Head of Buhari Media Team, Malam Garba Shehu, said the President-elect was deeply touched by the death of such a religious leader who demonstrated an amazing commitment to peace, unity, harmony and progress. According to General Buhari, the late Chief Imam of Jos had never failed to add his voice to dousing tension in the country. He said that the death of such gentleman who had always used his tremendous influence to advance the cause of peace was a big loss at a time when Nigeria needed leaders like him to entrench the spirit of tolerance and peaceful coexistence. The President-elect explained that filling the vacuum created by Imam Balarabe Daud would be no easy task even as he advised his followers to entrench and practice his great virtues. He prayed to Almighty Allah to eternally bless the soul of the deceased and reward his good deeds with paradise. He also prayed to God to grant members of his family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. [myad]
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari as neither a green-horn nor a novice in governance which is why Nigerians should have hope in him to get the country back on track once again.
According to the former leader, Nigerians have a ” new opportunity” in Buhari to make the country work for the better again. Obasanjo who spoke at his Abeokuta private residence on Presidential Hilltop Estate, when women leaders in the Southwest visited him today noted that the new opportunity is God – given.
“The good thing about the next administration is that the man that would head it – Buhari, is neither “a green–horn nor a novice in governance, adding that Buhari was once in the saddle before, even if it was under a different circumstance and would use his experience to navigate the country to the path of right direction. He said that Nigerians are quite clever and advised Buhari to be honest and truthful with them, saying he should not do what he called “cover up” or try to play “ostrich” on them. He said that there is a very high expectation about the in-coming government to sort things out quickly for Nigerians, but also added that there is equally a high level of goodwill locally and internationally in its favour. The former President advised Buhari not to be frightened by the enormous expectations and the daunting challenges of the country, adding that he should take the right steps within the next three months of being sworn–in when Nigerians are watching and counting to see what would be done to better their lots. He prayed Nigeria and Nigerians would not miss this opportunity God has provided to get the country out of a jam Earlier, the Iyalode of Yorubaland, Alaba Lawson, who lauded Obasanjo for his fatherly role to Nigeria, appealed to him not to refrain from offering quality advice to the in–coming administration. She said Nigerians are in agonies over fuel crisis, unemployment, insecurity among others and urged the former President not to abandon Buhari in the onerous task to make Nigerians proud again as two good heads are better than one. [myad]
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Facts Behind The Rush On NITEL / MTEL Guided Liquidation, By Engr. Haruna Ikotu
The decision by the Federal government to sell Nigerian Telecommunication Limited (NITEL) and its Subsidiary, Nigerian Mobile Telecommunication Limited (MTEL) in what was termed ‘guided liquidation’ by the Bureau for public enterprises (BPE) was rushed to completion by the Jonathan government with the announcement some time ago of payment by NATCOM Consortium, the bid winner of the remaining seventy per cent (70%) of the bid price of $252.25 million dollars. The liquidation process was the last ditch attempt made by the Federal government to finally sell NITEL/MTEL that has witnessed several failed attempts in the past to privatise the moribund federal government establishment.
My intention here is not to dwell on the various unsuccessful attempts to sell the company by the federal government but to highlight the shocking and startling revelations on the guided liquidation process of NITEL /MTEL which resulted in the sale of the government establishment to NATCOM Consortium at a ridiculous price of $252.25 million dollars. The liquidation process of NITEL/MTEL was anything but transparent. As the name of the effort to sell the establishment suggests, the guided liquidation process was ‘’guided’’ by some government officials to handover the national asset to few cronies of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. I was motivated, in putting up this piece, by the highest patriotic desire to draw public attention to the handover of the government owned establishment belonging to all Nigerians to few cronies of President Jonathan’s government at very ridiculous price to the detriment of the supreme national interest.
The information from unimpeachable sources indicate that NITEL / MTEL asset was audited by consultants who went round the whole country and, at the end put the value of the asset at the neighbourhood of $1.2billion dollars. The audit of the operational and non-operational vehicles belonging to the company were separately carried out by the appointed liquidator, Olutola Senbore & Co and were not included on the $1.2billion dollar assets the audit consultants proposed as the value of the moribund company.
NITEL /MTEL assets are huge and they include installed equipment throughout the nooks and crannies of Nigeria; digital/analogue exchanges that dot several towns, cities and villages, fiber optic cables across Nigeria and fiber optic cable rings in several cities and towns, highly valued operational licenses, landed properties in choice locations across the country and the lucrative SAT 3 under-sea cable linking Nigeria with outside world which has been operational.
An independent telecom audit firm put the value of NITEL/MTEL before the sale at $1.75billion dollars. Though the company’s operations were shut down in 2007, the fact that most of the equipment are in good condition and can be put into operational use was evident when during the auditing by the audit consultants, some of the exchanges were powered in 2014 and test calls were made successfully.
Chief Olatunde Ayeni, the promoter of NATCOM Consortium, the buyer of NITEL/MTEL is also the chairman of Skye Bank, the same man that donated huge sums of money to PDP 2015 presidential campaign fund,raising at the Villa. He had also donated huge sums of money to several PDP campaign fund raising activities in the run up to the 2015 general elections. Chief Olatunde Ayeni is widely believed to be fronting for President Jonathan, the Vice President Namadi Sambo, that also doubles as chairman of National Council of privatization (NCP) and other PDP big wigs. The rush at which the outgoing government of President Jonathan made to quickly conclude the liquidation of NITEL/MTEL and handed over the company to NATCOM Consortium has left no one in doubt that there are shady deals that Dr. Jonathan government officials wanted to cover up on the huge NITEL/MTEL scam.
Does it surprise anyone that while several current issues of national importance such as fuel scarcity biting the nation hard were left unattended to by the outgoing government, the same government on the other hand made frantic efforts to quickly conclude the liquidation exercise of the establishments before the handover date of 29th of May 2015.
In a meeting held by the National Council on Privatization (NCP) on Thursday 16th April , 2015 chaired by the Vice President Namadi Sambo, it was directed that BPE should handover NITEL / MTEL to NATCOM Consortium immediately even though the bidder had not completed their payment as at that time due to exchange rate issues. The liquidator Olutola Senbore & Co was then requesting NATCOM Consortium to pay the remaining bid price at the then exchange rate. The establishment was eventually hurriedly handed over to NATCOM Consortium on 29th April, 2015
The logical and thought provoking questions Nigerians are asking and to which they deserve honest answers are as follows:
There is a deep concern based on the above facts that NITEL/MTEL has been highly undervalued and that if the liquidation process is allowed to stay, Nigerians would have been brazenly cheated. Nigerians are therefore calling for a review and total cancellation of the sale of NITEL / MTEL to NATCOM Consortium and start the process of selling the company all over again and give all bidders fair and equal opportunities for the benefit of all Nigerians and the country at large.
Haruna Ikotu, project management consultant and development analyst, who studied strategic management from the University of South Africa (UNISA), sent this piece from Abuja. [myad]