Nigeria: Labour halts refineries sell-off

Volte-face?
But, after announcing the proposed sale of the refineries, it appears that the government has had a change of heart.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati declared: “The Federal Government will not sell the refineries. There is no authorisation for anybody to do so; there is no presidential endorsement. Even the Minister does not have the powers to sell government’s property.”

However, an audit report of the refineries, reportedly submitted to President Goodluck Jonathan in November 2012, had recommended their outright sale within 18 months. The volte-face may not be unconnected with the threat of labour unrest.

The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), the government body in charge of privatisation, has also allayed the fears of the unions. BPE’s head of public communications, Chigbo Anichebe assured that the unions would be fully involved in the ownership transfer process of the refineries.

Anichebe said: “We want to provide clarifications that the privatisation process has not commenced. It will only commence after the steering committee chaired by the Minister of Petroleum Resources meets to provide the broad guidelines for the transaction.

“This is in line with what the federal government did in the privatisation of the power sector by actively engaging labour. All the concerns of the labour unions will be looked into and amicably resolved to ensure the success of the privatisation process.”

Meanwhile, government has set up a steering committee to engage relevant stakeholders, with a view to ensuring that due process is followed in the proposed privatisation exercise. The Minister of Petroleum Resources chairs the committee, which is composed of the Ministers of Finance, Power, Mines and Steel Development, National Planning, Labour and Productivity, and Justice.