Uche Usim, Abuja
Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) says it would carry out 19 transactions this year.
The Director-General, Mr. Alex Okoh made the disclosure when he received members of the Senate Committee on Privatization and Commercialization led by its Chairman, Mr Theodore Orji who were on an oversight visit to the Bureau.
According to him, the transactions would be carried out in health, education, energy and other sectors of the Nigerian economy.
He assured that the transactions would impact positively on the Nigerian economy, especially in infrastructure development, improved power generation and supply, food security and job creation.
He expressed the Bureau’s willingness to work closely with members of the committee to ensure that BPE delivers on its mandate for the benefit of the nation.
Okoh listed some of the challenges facing the privatisation agency in the discharge of its mandate to include, budgetary constraints and non- enactment of some important reform Bills like the National Transport Commission bill, roads bill etc. Others are overlapping mandate between BPE and Infrastructure Concessions Regulatory Commission on concession and PPP projects and economic policy.
Responding, the chairman of the Senate Committee on privatization and commercialization expressed delight at the oversight visit, stating that the committee had been anxious to visit the bureau to know about its privatization and other reform activities.
He pledged the committee’s commitment to work with the Bureau to overcome the challenges mitigating the privatization programme of the Federal Government and deliver the benefits to the Nigerians.