SOME opposition political parties
yesterday lauded federal government’s revocation of concession agreements of
Ajaokuta Steel Company and National Iron Ore Mining Company.
The two companies were concessioned to
Indian-owned Global Infrastructure Holdings Limited (GHIL) by the
administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
Speaking in separate interviews,
Action Congress (AC); All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and All Nigeria
Peoples (ANPP) said the move was a step in the right direction and should be
commended by the public.
AC in a statement issued in Abuja by
its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said it was
particularly delighted that President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had directed the
criminal prosecution of indicted officials of the Federal Government and
promoters of GIHL for asset stripping.
It advised that the issue must be
pursued to a logical conclusion in order to bring the culprits to book and
prevent a repeat of such an unfair deal.
In particular, it said the federal
government must find out to what extent the assets of the companies have
been stripped by the concessionaire, in the light of allegations made to
that effect by the ASCL branch of the Iron and Steel Senior Staff
Association of Nigeria (ISSAN).
"It is important to carry out a
thorough check of what Nigeria has lost through this shady deal, retrieve
what can still be retrieved and mete out the necessary punishment to all
those indicted.
"This will serve as a deterrent to
economic saboteurs who might want to repeat such a dastardly act and send a
signal to all concerned that the era of anything goes is over for good,’’ AC
said.
The party said the government must not
stop at the ASCL and NIOMCO alone but must beam its searchlight on other
privatised enterprises to see whether Nigerians got value for the huge
public funds already invested in such companies over the years.
"We have consistently said that the so
called privatisation of public enterprises carried out under the Obasanjo
administration was nothing more than selling the common wealth to cronies
and family members.
"We are delighted that the
Administrative Panel of Inquiry set up by the government revealed that the
agreements in respect of the ASCL and NIOMCO were‘largely skewed in favour
of the concessionaire to the detriment of the federal government of
Nigeria’.
"This is what we have feared all
along. We urge the government to move quickly to ensure some form of
restitution and to ensure other deals similar to the GIHL’s are dismantled
as quickly as possible, in the interest of Nigerians,’’ AC added.
In his own reaction National Chairman
of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh said that government’s action had shown that
President Yar’Adua was interested in standing with the people.
He however contended that government’s
efforts would not be complete if the former president and his foot soldiers
who supervised the last privitisation exercise were not probed.
Speaking in the same manner, National
Publicity Secretary of ANPP, Mr. Emma Enekwu said the president by the bold
move was giving a good sign that his government was interested in correcting
the wrongs of the former administration.
"This is a positive sign that the
president is ready to fight corruption in a proper way," the ANPP publicity
secretary said.
He supported the position of AC that
government should look at other companies which he said due process was not
followed in their privatisation.
