Nigeria sacks privatization agency boss

Bolanle Onagoruwa

Bolanle Onagoruwa: sacked

Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja Bureau chief

After surviving many calls for her sack, the Director General of the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) Mrs. Bolanle Onagoruwa, was on Tuesday sacked by Nigeria’s Federal Government.

Bolanle Onagoruwa: sacked
The announcement of the sack of Mrs. Onagoruwa was contained in a two paragraph statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to the Vice President, Umar Sani on Tuesday afternoon.

She was ordered to hand over to the most Senior Director in the Bureau, Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki who is to hold the position in an acting capacity.

“Mr. President extends his sincere appreciation to Mrs. Bolanle Onogoruwa for her services to the nation and wishes her the best in her future endeavors”, Sani added in the statement.

As the DG of BPE, Onagoruwa was involved in many controversies. The latest was over her handling of the contract signed by Federal Government with Manitoba Hydro Electric company of Canada for the management of Transmission Company of Nigeria.

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President Goodluck Jonathan had during his last media chat said the contract did not follow due process as it was not subjected to due process certification. But the BPE had insisted that there was no need to subject the process of the engagement of the management contractor to due process as it was a form of privatization.

The management contract was only vetted as approved last week after the Bureau of Public Procurement gave its approval in conformity with the lapses noticed by the President.

Also, members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly have been at loggerheads with the presidency over the refusal of President Jonathan to sack Onagoruwa. An Ad-hoc Committee of the Senate which probed privatization of the nation’s assets done between 1999 and 2011 had recommended the sack of Onagoruwa for gross incompetence.

The panel also indicted her over her role in the sale of the Federal Government’s five percent residual shares in Eleme Petrochemical Company.

Indeed, the Senate Committee on ethics, public petitions and privileges refused to recognize Onagoruwa as the DG of BPE when she appeared to respond to some petitions written by staff of the organization over wrongful termination of appointment before it some weeks ago.

The Chairman of the committee, Senator Ayo Akinyelure said the senate can no longer recognize Onagoruwa as the substantive Director General based on a resolution by the senate which recommended her removal from office.

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