From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has taken a swipe at the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, for accusing the ruling party of stealing his idea to reform the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
While reacting to the unveiling of the NNPC Limited, the PDP presidential standard bearer alleged that APC stole his idea to reform the state-owned oil corporation to make it more profitable, transparent and efficient.
Reacting in a statement he issued in Abuja, Okechukwu wondered how on earth APC stole Atiku’s idea when about $2 billion Signatures Bonus and $1.5 billion LNG Proceeds between 2004 and 2006, were allegedly stolen under his watch.
The Director General, Voice of Nigeria (VON), also lampooned Atiku for the sleaze that trailed the privatisation of state-owned enterprises under his watch as the Chairman of the National Council on Privatisation while serving as the nation’s number two citizen.
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“I am one of those, who going by President Olusegun Obasanjo’s testimonies on Atiku, his ambivalence on late Deborah’s imbroglio and his antecedents will not go to a bank with his posturing statement,” he stated.
“How come Atiku who failed to reform NNPC when he has the powers as chairman of National Economic Council and chairman of National Council Privatisation honestly come today to dissemble facts?
“One challenge Atiku should solve is to refute the allegation of September 2009 Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, that $2 billion Signatures Bonus and $1.5 billion were neither reflected in the Federation Account nor 47.32 per cent due to States and Local Councils disbursed to them.
“Thus, violently breached Section 162(3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, which states, “Any amount standing to the credit of the Federation Account shall be distributed among the Federal and State Governments and the Local Government Councils in such a manner as may be prescribed by the National Assembly.”
“One hopes that Atiku will not compel us to look into the less-than-transparent process which governed the privatisation of State Owned Enterprises when he was chairman of the National Council on Privatisation.
“The outcome of which is the sordid result of gnashing of teeth where instead of coming to life the enterprises like Niger Dock, Electricity Distribution Companies, et al, are not the envisaged instrument of economic development, but poverty creation,” he charged.
Reacting further, Okechukwu said that Atiku, rather than commending the patriotism and political will of President Buhari to hands-off the NNPC’s honeypot, is engrossed with fake news and dissembling of facts.