Jonathan hasn’t approved sale of refineries, says Abati.

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The Presidency on Thursday said the Federal
Government had no plan to sell any of the
nation’s refineries contrary to the news making
the rounds about the imminent sale of the
facilities.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media
and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said this in an
interview with State House correspondents on
Thursday.
It will be recalled that the Petroleum and Natural
Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and the
Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas
Workers had threatened to embark on an
industrial action this month if the Federal
Government refused to drop the idea of selling
the refineries.
In declaring the date for the commencement of
the strike, National President, PENGASSAN, Mr.
Babatunde Ogun, had said, “Our message is very
clear; if between now and December 24, 2013,
the government fails to cancel the planned
privatisation of the refineries, we will wait for the
Yuletide period to come and then mobilise
between that time and the first week in January
2014; the entire oil and gas workers in Nigeria
will go on a total strike and shut down the
economy.”
But Abati on Thursday said there was no
endorsement from President Goodluck Jonathan
for the planned sale of the refineries.
He added that the Minister of Petroleum
Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, could
not singlehandedly sell any government property
without the President’s approval.
“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,” Abati declared.
The Head, Public Communication, Bureau of
Public Enterprises, Mr. Chigbo Anichebe, had said
through a statement in Abuja on December 20,
2013 that Jonathan had approved the
constitution of a steering committee for the sale
of the nation’s four refineries.
Anichebe had said the President also approved
the commencement of the privatisation of the
refineries.
The four refineries are the Port Harcourt Refining
Company Limited I; Port Harcourt Refining
Company Limited II; Kaduna Refining and
Petrochemical Company Limited; and the Warri
Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited.
Anichebe had said, “In furtherance of the
economic reform programme of his
administration, President Jonathan has approved
the commencement of the privatisation of the
nation’s four refineries by the BPE.
“This is in keeping with the transformation
agenda, which seeks to catalyse and provide an
enabling environment for the private sector to be
the driver of economic growth in the country.
“The President has also approved the
constitution of a steering committee on the
privatisation process that involves all relevant
stakeholder ministries and agencies.”
The members of the steering committee, which
is chaired by the Minister of Petroleum
Resources, are the ministers of Finance, Power,
Labour and Productivity, National Planning, Mines
and Steel Development and Justice.
Other members are the Chairman, Extractive
Sub-committee, National Council on Privatisation;
Special Adviser to the Vice-President on
Economy; Group Managing Director, Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation; Director-General,
BPE; Group Executive Director (Refineries), NNPC;
Managing Directors of the refineries and the
Director (Oil and Gas), BPE, who will serve as the
secretary.