The 2023 Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to promptly list the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited on the Nigeria Stock Exchange.
The former Vice President declared that this move aligns with the stipulations set forth by the Petroleum Industry Act.
Atiku’s demand follows the recent decision by NNPCL to transfer the management and operation of the Warri and Kaduna refineries to private operators.
In a statement issued by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, on Sunday, Atiku emphasized that NNPCL should be listed on the stock exchange as required by the Petroleum Industry Act.
“Currently, the NNPCL claims to be private, but this is only a ruse to fool the feeble-minded because it remains the ATM of the Federal Government. Anything short of listing the NNPCL on the stock exchange is nothing but a cosmetic development,” he added.
He explained that this move would improve profitability, transparency, and corporate governance.
The statement read in part, “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate said previous arrangements and concessions had not worked because of a lack of transparency in the contract award process as well as the failure of the government to attract investors.
“The former Vice President said that for such a deal to succeed at all, the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) and a credible technical partner like Standard and Poor’s must be part of the process.
“Former President Olusegun Obasanjo revealed recently that even Shell, one of the world’s wealthiest oil companies, rejected the offer to operate Nigeria’s refineries. This is because the NNPCL has, for years, been a cesspool of endemic corruption.
“This is why over $20bn that has been spent on the refineries in the last 20 years has led to nowhere. It is also curious that a government that is still paying petrol subsidies is trying to make its refineries profitable. Which businessman will invest in a refinery that has been programmed to operate at a loss?”
Atiku questioned the viability of the NNPC’s new plan, noting that similar arrangements in the past had not been successful or profitable.
Atiku further urged NNPCL to avoid making the contract process opaque as it did with OVH last year, which proved dubious and did not resolve the ongoing fuel scarcity.
He continued, “The management and operating approach has not always worked. The Manitoba Hydro International, which was handed to the Transmission Company of Nigeria, led to nowhere. Similarly, Global Steel Limited, which was handed to the Ajaokuta Steel Company, was not able to make the facility profitable.
“The contract was questionably revoked by the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua administration, and Nigeria ended up paying Global Steel a compensation of nearly $500m while Ajaokuta remains comatose 17 years later.
“In 2022, Nueoil, an unknown and newly registered company, acquired OVH and Oando filling stations. Barely four months later, NNPCL Retail bought Nueoil and took control of all its assets, including the Oando filling stations.
“Barely eight months later, OVH turned around to take over NNPCL Retail. This convoluted transaction was done in order to hide the corruption involved. If this is the approach that the NNPCL wants to use in handing over its refineries to private hands, then Nigerians should not expect any positive development whatsoever.”
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
