Bauchi PDP Faults Opposition APC, Says It Lacks Privatization Concept Knowhow

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By; MOHAMMED KAWU, Bauchi

Secretary to the Bauchi State Government, Barrister Ibrahim Kashim Mohammed has underrated the knowledge of the state’s All Progressives Congress (APC) captains on the concept of privatization, particularly on the government’s resolve to lease out the state’s comatose industries that have continued to heap liabilities onto the public domains

The Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Ibrahim Kashim Mohammed who made the description on the opposition party, explained that privatization in its real sense, means bringing the private sector to participate in area that is traditionally left to the government.

Barrister Ibrahim Kashim who was refuting the APC statement on leasing out some of the state-owned companies to private sector participation, said it basically meant either to sell shares or Public Private Participation (PPP), which means the private sector should build the bridge and turn it around until it recovers its invested money and hand it back to the owner.

It would be recalled that the APC has Friday at a press conference in Bauchi presided over by its state chairman, Babayo Aliyu Misau condemned the state government’s privatization programme, describing it as a failure to manage and resuscitate the state-owned industries for the common advantage of the people.

The State Government’s Chief Scribe further explained that privatization is a concept that is being done all over the World as, according to him, governments all over the World realized that they lack the necessary money and expertise, as well as the spirit to run business.

“These are concepts that are being done all over the World. And why did it become necessary to develop and pursue the concept of privatization. Governments all over the world realize that, government lack the necessary money, expertise and to run business”.

He said that it was because of the aforementioned that intellectuals overtime started thinking on how to provide services to the people which is traditionally government, but without government’s money, hence the talking about deregulation all over public domains globally.

“So we started talking about deregulation, lets government come and make deregulation and invite the private sector who have the experience, money and the spirit, because government is a bureaucracy, but under the PPP while using public funds, there must be checks and balances”.

“Government has no business in business, what government do is governance. You come up with deregulation, you establish level playing fields and you allow private sector businesses or joint venture businesses to operate. It became very clear all over the world, and Nigeria adopted it, as it started with the Adebo and Udoji Commissions’, SSG recalled.

Kashim therefore drew the attention of the APC in Bauchi to the Federal Government’s recent privatization of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the privatizations of so many public corporations by the APC –led governments in Kano and Kaduna privatized to ridicule itself in Bauchi.

The Bauchi SSG described the APC’s condemnation of the PDP government in the state on the ongoing privatization as mere calculated attempt to blackmail the government, denigrate its activities, pool the people of the state, to misled the public and cast the government in negative light.

Barrister Kashim who further explained that the state government follows all due process in the privatization drive, backed up by state laws, categorically stated that the money derivable from the exercise is to reactive the ailing and comatose industries, offset liabilities including workers’ salaries, taxes backlog, and turn them around while employing indigenes to earn for a living.

On the threat of APC in Bauchi taking the state government to ICPC and EFCC, the Bauchi SSG said that “If it is the work of these agencies, let them do it, I would be the last person to teach them how they could do their work, if they feel there is any undertaking in this privatization”.

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