Obasanjo should be punished for BPE failures – senators


OPPOSITION lawmakers in the Senate on Wednesday asked for sanction to imposed on ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo for lapses in the Federal Government’s privatisation exercise in the past 12 years.

The Senators argued that sanctions recommended by the senate ad hoc committee that probed the exercise for the former heads of the Bureau of Public Enterprises should also be extended to Obasanjo who approved the sale of the affected government companies.

The committee in its report which was debated by the Senate on Wednesday had recommended sanctions for the past DGs of BPE, especially the pioneer DG, Nasir el-Rufai, for non-transparence in transferring government enterprises to private individuals. The current DG, Ms Bola Onagoruwa, is also recommended for sacking.

During the debate, Senator Abu Ibrahim (CPC, Katsina South), queried the propriety of sanctioning the DGs while leaving out Obasanjo who signed the deal for which they were recommended for punishment.

“My worry is the castigating of smaller mortals who took their files somewhere to be approved and the main culprit, the man who signed the papers, who signed the law, and broke the law, has been left out. I believe that this Senate should have the courage to indict that person.

“As a leader of the country, he signed the law, broke the law, and that person is former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“So this Senate should have the courage to indict the former President for breaking the law. We should have the courage to reprimand the former President of Nigeria for breaking these laws. The report showed that he personally signed these companies off. The committee should consider these companies one by one, if the former President is involved, he should be prosecuted.”

While Ibrahim was making his contribution, the microphone went off intermittently, a development some Senators described as Senate President David Mark’s way of calling Senators to order.

When the microphone came on again, Ibrahim’s colleagues asked him to “rewind,” but Mark declined, insisting that the Senator had made his point.

Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi (ACN, Ekiti North) blamed Obasanjo for the failure of the privatisation exercise.

Adetunmbi said, “We must point to anywhere the issue lays. We have in this report Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, a former leader of this country, who under oath, swore to protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic and the laws of this country, and that same person, in imperial and messianic judgment, took decisions (microphone went off), this person took decisions and issued executive directives and approvals numbering about 47 of them in contravention of the processes that are enshrined in the Privatisation Act, which was signed by himself.

“It is true that people by virtue of their leadership positions can act in the best interest of their countries, but not in the apparent belief that their views are equivalent to the law and that is the reality of this report.”

He noted that the report also cast aspersions on the Senate Committee on Privatisation, which had existed during the period of the privatisation exercise.

Although Senator Olusola Adeyeye (ACN, Osun Central) did not mention the name of the former President in his comments, he noted that those who perpetrated the illegalities should be brought to book, whether “they are former senators, former President or former Directors.”

He said that while it was assumed that a former Vice- President was involved in the sale of the enterprises, it was clear by recent information that the buck actually stopped on the desk of the former President himself.

“We also know that the former DG of NSE presided over the sale of Transcorp, with the sitting President having, if not the lion’s share, the leopard’s share. We are also aware that the ‘First Son’ was an agent in the sale of the Steel companies. I have argued that he has a right to be an agent, but not at the detriment of the process,” he said.

Adeyeye called on the Senate to ensure that the recommendations were not only passéd but pursued to a logical conclusion and implemented.

Deputy Leader, Abdu Ningi, said the BPE and the NCP had betrayed the trust reposed in them by Nigerians, noting that the companies privatised had gone worse than they were before they were privatised.

Most senators who spoke supported the recommendations, but feared that the recommendations might not be implemented as it had happened with previous investigations.

Senator Smart Adeyemi called on President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that the recommendations were implemented so that the wrongs could be corrected.

Senator Nkechi Nwaogu said, “We should not just stand up today to talk about this, but we must ensure that the recommendations will be enforced. When it comes to looking at those prayers we need to take stiffer penalties.”

But Senators Suleiman Adoke, Abubakar Bagudu and Bukar Ibrahim warned that while considering the recommendations, care must be taken not to create legal issues out of the report.

Responding to the criticisms of the report, Chairman of the committee, Ahmed Lawan, averred that the committee conducted its work dispassionately and patriotically, and urged the Senate to approve the recommendations.

According to him, Volkswagen of Nigeria Ltd has turned its plant into a warehouse for imported vegetable oils and imported cars.



http://dailypost.com.ng/2011/12/01/obasanjo-should-be-punished-for-bpe-failures-senators/

the opposition are in minority,so their which can not be granted.

If pigs could fly,

who are d oppostion, ??

how i wish dt mark will do d right thing members are asking of him. OBJ SOLD COMPANIES BUILT BY PAST REGIMES TO HIMSELF AND CRONIES. i know dt gej will never prosecute him bt one day,a daniel will come for justice.

tall dreams lol

Lets respect OBJ for once

Una wan prosecute baba Iyabo? I dey laff

cjfavour:

how i wish dt mark will do d right thing members are asking of him. OBJ SOLD  COMPANIES BUILT BY PAST REGIMES TO HIMSELF AND CRONIES. i know dt gej will never prosecute him bt one day,a daniel will come for justice.

OBJ, IBB, BUHARI, GOWON are the architects of all Nigeria sorrows. They are Britain's agent.

Woe betide those that have put nigeria in this condition whether in the main stream or opposition if we believe and think what the heck we have to go back and check again everything that happens is like a vicious cycle if it doesn't affect you today it may affect your generation unborn we talk of lack of jobs down sizing round sizing and right sizing these were caused as a result of these misappropriated companies and because we want to give the office of the president respect we allow the highest form of corruption to go unattended properly to see the senators turning corrupt actions into a circus of mediocrity switching of the microphones I don't blame David Mark he once said phones were not meant for all nigerians see how quickly we forget things because we don't have the power to usurp them poverty "tufiaka" and these type of people would continue to rule Nigeria because we are all looking for what we can get and eat rather then what we can give look at the whole rubbbbbisssshhhh. We would we stare them straight in the face and tell them they have almost completed their mansions in Hell fire. Arise great honest people let us tell them we know what we want and they are not they are soaked in corruption OBJ you disappointed us.

I laf in waheeeheee

Jeel:

Lets respect OBJ for once

Which respect? That guy ruined the country. He ruled for 8 years and our refineries were not working. He foisted a sick Yaradua on us and a cr@py Johnathan. That man ran the country down.

who go touch am.jonah? Haha!

Are the present crop of lawmakers not worst than Obj? They are bunch of looters and never do well individuals, so they have no moral justification to punish Obj, either legally or otherwise.

Who is the govt. In Egypt the People tell the govt what they want. You are here writing rubbish. The earlier you all wake up the better for you.

Oh boy, see joke

what the fvck is wrong with this David Mark of a guy? He is just becoming a bigger arsehole day by day. The senators shld give him the Julius Caesar treatment by stabbing him to death. .

Interesting development. Now the big question remains - who will bell the cat/ebora owu (demon of Owu)?

[color=#990000][/color]i dey laugh o, why all dis yoruba pple no dey get sense like this, u na want take ur father to court, ibo dey parize ojukwu, housa stil dey place abacha and ibb poster 4 their houses, but yoruba want hoppen their father yanz 4 public, dem come dey mention all the nonsense yoruba senetor, way be say their hands self no dey clean, u no see SHOLA ADEYEYE way use political tougs to beat him home town family members to dust, way him case stil dey wait 4 am nonsense, common tinubu dem no fit cary talk of obj abeg no dey decieve us jare

i stil dey laug o, eyin weree

That old man na big thief

I'll believe it when i see him in a cage like Mubarak.

For now, its just some noise from a bunch of toothless clowns.

Prove me wrong, put am for cage and stream the video of the trial live mek we see.

i go dey laugh while im watching it on YouTube.

with my pop corn and soda.

He served himself not the country.