By Chijioke Kingsley
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – NIGERIA’S former Vice President (VP), Atiku Abubakar, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu is gradually turning Nigeria into his private property.
Abubakar who ran against Tinubu in the 2023 election on the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) platform said the future of Nigerians had been effectively mortgaged to the President, his family, and associates.
Atiku disclosed this in a statement released by his media adviser, Paul Ibe on Wednesday, August 21.
In the message with the theme, “Nigeria is rapidly transforming into a government of Tinubu, by Tinubu, and for Tinubu, Abubakar said even after Tinubu leaves office, it would be nearly impossible to break these restraints.
He drew a parallel between Tinubu’s blending of his business ventures with government entities in Lagos and his attempts to merge his business interests with federal government institutions.
“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,” Abubakar stated.
He said he was shocked to discover that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had placed its retail operations under the management of OVH, a company of which Oando has 49 per cent) stake. Oando is led by Wale Tinubu, the President’s younger brother, highlighting a potential conflict of interest.
Abubakar expressed sadness that the unlawful takeover of the NNPC by corporate cabals around Tinubu had overshadowed his plans to privatise the organisation and bring more transparency to it.
“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 took on the role of Minister of Petroleum,” the former VP stated.
Abubakar reportedly criticised Tinubu’s handling of NNPC Retail, stating that it defied economic logic for OVH, formerly owned by NNPC Retail, to acquire its former parent company, making Oando to own 49 per cent of NNPC Retail.
He further alleged that Nigeria paid a substantial amount to facilitate the Tinubu family’s acquisition, describing it as an illogical business transaction and an abuse of office by Tinubu, whom he said failed to convert NNPC into a public liability company as required by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA)
Abubakar recognised that the NNPC and its leadership were under investigation by the legislature, but questioned the integrity of the process.
He said, Opeyemi Bamidele, a senator, who is heading the National Assembly panel, is a known supporter of Tinubu and served as a commissioner under him in Lagos State and publicly calls him his godfather.
He also expressed doubts about the likelihood of a thorough investigation by Bamidele, given his close relationship with Tinubu, which may lead to a biased or watered-down inquiry that avoids implicating his master.
The former VP also highlighted the recent disclosure that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project is embroiled in a legal dispute, as reported by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
