Beginning from late last year, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele said government will soon sale non-performing national assets to raise fund to rejig the economy.
Only recently, the National Economic Council (NEC) advised the federal government to sale some performing national assets including the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) and others. But federal government said it is only aiming at selling only 5% of its 49% share. The value of the federal government’s 5% is put at $28 billion. Besides, economists say the government may not have the right to even sale because it has limited shares.
At the National Assembly, just as the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki supported the sale of national assets, the majority said no. Senator Sani Shehu in a twit said even though we are on recession, we will not sale any national asset, stressing that Nigeria is not for sale.
But on Wednesday, whereas the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun said that the nation was already getting out of recession, due to steps taken by the apex government, the Minister of Information, Mr. Lai Mohammed told Nigerians at the end of federal Economic Council meeting in Abuja that NEC is different from FEC and FEC has not taken any decision on the sale of national assets. To him, government is open to all ideas but has not yet taken decision on the matter.
In her closing remarks at a two-day conference of National Council of Finance and Economic Development (NACOFED) in Abeokuta, Mrs. Adeosun claimed that “We are already getting out of recession because of the actions the Federal Government is taking. If you are in a problem, the day you start to step towards progression, you are already getting out of it.
“The government is investing more in capital than we have ever invested, we are sorting out infrastructures, we are stopping wastage and so the sign of recovery is already there.
“Agriculture and solid mineral are already starting to grow and so they are responding to our policy initiative and we are expected to continue in that direction.
“Nigeria is getting out of the trouble that we have found ourselves, we are turning things around and I believe everybody is united and everybody that were here represented the 36 states,” the Minister said.
