By Adedapo Adesanya
The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has said that the federal government has the political will to resuscitate ailing and non-performing privatised enterprises in the country.
According to a statement from the agency through its Head of Public Communications, Mrs Amina Othman, the Director-General, Mr Alex Okoh, said this when he received the report of the federal government’s four inter-agency committees on the resuscitation of ailing and non-performing privatised enterprises in the country.
At the event, he also assured of BPE’s commitment to collaborate with relevant agencies to resuscitate and bring to life the moribund enterprises.
He commended the wealth of experience, expertise, commitment, diligence and intellectualism exhibited by the members in the course of carrying out their assignment.
He expressed optimism that the outcome would bring the desired solution to the non-performing privatised enterprises.
Mr Okoh said that the affected enterprises which were privatised about 10 years ago in the automobile sector, bricks and clay (housing) sector, oil palm sector, mines and solid minerals sector and others failed to meet the aim of privatisation and reform programme of the Federal Government.
“Hence, the government, through the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), directed the BPE to investigate the cause(s) for their inability to perform.
“Also to proffer viable and acceptable solutions to resuscitating them to perform optimally, create employment, boost the economy and increase Gross Domestic Product (GDP) among other benefits,” the BPE said.
He assured that the findings of the committees would be shared among all stakeholders in order to spur them to meet their organisational objectives and that of the central government’s privatisation and reform programme.
The BPE recalled that on March 23, it inaugurated the four committees to help resolve the complexities and challenges hindering the growth and development of some privatised enterprises.
The teams were made up of members drawn from the relevant sectors, ministries, BPE and the private sector.
Modupe Gbadeyanka