Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has claimed that the future of Nigerians has been effectively handed over to Bola Tinubu, his family, and close associates.
Atiku warned that even after Tinubu’s tenure, it will be extremely difficult to undo the control the president has established over the country.
Atiku, who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate in the last election, made this assertion through a statement by his media aide, Paul Ibe.
He accused Tinubu of incorporating his personal business interests into the federal government’s operations, similar to what he did during his time as governor of Lagos State.
“Just as Alpha Beta, Primero, and others act as Tinubu’s proxies in Lagos, managing critical sectors and generating revenue for him and his family, he has begun to replicate this at the federal level,” Atiku said.
He expressed surprise at the operations of the NNPC and how the government-owned oil company had placed its retail division under the control of OVH, a company in which Oando, led by Wale Tinubu, owns 49%.
Atiku lamented that his plan to privatize the NNPC and enhance its transparency has been overshadowed by what he describes as a criminal takeover of the NNPC by corporate cabals associated with the current president.
“In October 2022, just five months before the elections, the NNPC Retail controversially announced it had acquired OVH and all its filling stations. NNPCL already had about 550 filling stations across the country but claimed it was enhancing its capacity by acquiring OVH, which had only 94 stations and 100 others leased.
“The NNPC did not disclose the purchase price of OVH or the terms of the acquisition. A Freedom of Information request by Premium Times was also rejected by the NNPC, which claimed to be a private company despite still being government-owned.
“Following this dubious deal, Mele Kyari was controversially retained as NNPC GMD despite his incompetence. Tinubu then appointed his former boss at Mobil, turned ally, Pius Akinyelure, as NNPC Chairman, while he himself took on the role of Minister of Petroleum.
“In a move that defies economic logic, OVH, previously owned by NNPC Retail, has now acquired NNPC Retail. This absurd situation means that Wale Tinubu’s Oando now owns 49% of NNPC Retail. Moreover, Nigeria paid Wale Tinubu a significant sum to facilitate the Tinubu family’s acquisition of the national oil company.
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Atiku said, “This is a clear example of irrational business dealings and abuse of power by President Tinubu, who has prevented the NNPC from becoming a public liability company as required by the PIA.”
He added that, as the Petroleum Minister, Tinubu should be held accountable for the issues in the sector.
Atiku also addressed the recent news that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project is facing legal challenges.
He was responding to a report by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a global network of investigative journalists, which revealed that the coastal highway project is in court and highlighted a close connection between Tinubu’s son, Seyi, and Gilbert Chagoury, who was awarded the contract without a competitive bidding process.
“I had earlier claimed that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project was fraudulent, but the government denied it. Now, the matter is in court. It is also concerning that Chagoury and Tinubu have a business relationship, and their children are business partners, as revealed by the OCCRP.
“This indicates a conflict of interest. It is no surprise that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Coastal Highway, which together will cost over $24 billion, were approved without competitive bidding. It seems that whatever Tinubu wants, he gets,” Atiku concluded.
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