Momoh Aliyu, a financial expert and Managing Director of Cyber1 Systems
Network International, has backed decision by PDP’s presidential
candidate Atiku Abubakar to privatise the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC).
Aliyu made his position known while reacting to statement credited to
Atiku on his proposed plan to privatise the NNPC if elected president.
NAN reports that the PDP’s flag bearer on Wednesday said that he would
privatise the NNPC if elected, describing the state-owned oil firm as a
“mafia organisation’’.
Atiku, who spoke at an interactive session with the business community
in Lagos, said that he would take the step even if doing so would cost
him his life.
He explained that he sold the idea to former President Olusegun Obasanjo whom he worked with as a deputy between 1999 and 2007.
According to him, the former president did not approve of it but he is
convinced that NNPC will run better if not managed by the government.
The expert said that the privatisation of NNPC was long overdue but,
however, doubted the integrity of Atiku in spearheading such process.
According to him, a country with population projected to double by 2050,
and presently has many Nigerians that are unemployed should only focus
on productivity.
Nigeria’s population is presently estimated at 180 million.
Aliyu said the only panacea to productivity and job creation was to privatise and diversify the nation’s economy.
He said that the government would find it difficult to diversify
conveniently because of its policies on public service which were
critical to key sectors of the economy.
Aliyu suggested that NNPC should be a regulatory body and not a commercial body.
