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Refineries likely for privatisation this year — NCP

By on March 27, 2014

The National Council on Privatisation has listed the nation’s four refineries for possible privatisation this year.

The Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, disclosed this in a statement made available to our correspondent in Abuja on Tuesday.

He listed the prospective transactions in the oil and gas industry to include the privatisation of the two refineries in Port Harcourt, as well as the Warri and Kaduna refineries.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Deizani Alison-Madueke had earlier in the year said that the Federal Government was ready to privatise the refineries, but following opposition from the organised labour, the government later said there was no such plan.

Dikki also said the NCP had approved the partial privatisation of the Bank of Industry and the Bank of Agriculture.

He said, “Council has mandated the bureau to achieve the following milestones in 2014, restructuring and partial privatisation of the Bank of Agriculture, partial privatisation of the Bank of Industry, privatisation of the Nigeria Commodity Exchange and commercialisation of national parks.

“The transactions approved for the transport department were to privatise the Skypower Catering & Hotel Services and the sale of moveable assets in the ports.

“The sale process for Skypower Catering & Hotel Services will commence as soon as the steering committee is inaugurated. However, the sale of the moveable assets in the ports has reached advanced stages of conclusion.”

He added, “The definite transactions in the information and communications department are to conclude the guided liquidation of NITEL/MTEL and the policy/legal and regulatory framework review to prepare the ground for the commercialisation of the media enterprises – NTA, FRCN, National Films Corporation and the News Agency of Nigeria.

“The restructuring plan for the FHA (Federal Housing Authority) has been submitted to the Technical Board for review, while the recommendations for the policy, legal and regulatory frameworks for the housing sector are being finalised for the consideration of the Board and the NCP.”

He said that the BPE, in collaboration with the Enugu State Government, has set up a joint committee to resolve the issues surrounding the sale of houses and land of the defunct Nigerian Mining Corporation.

Another joint committee headed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development has been set up to resolve the legal and other issues that impeded the sale process of the coal blocks, Dikki said.

 

 

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