The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), has called on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to partner with it in the ongoing reform and privatisation programme of the Federal Government.
Acting Director General of BPE, Mr. Ignatius Ayewoh who made this call when he paid a courtesy visit to the President of the NLC, Comrade Joe Ajero, recently, emphasized the importance of collaboration with the labour unions to ensure the welfare of workers during and after government agency reforms.
He expressed gratitude to Mr. Ajero and the Union for their past support and urged them to continue partnering with the Bureau, particularly as members of the Technical Committee (TC) of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP).
Highlighting BPE’s previous successes in various sectors of the Nigerian economy such as telecoms, banking, Eleme petrochemical, and port terminal concessions, Mr. Ayewoh stated that the Bureau’s current strategy is focused on implementing Public Private Partnership (PPP) and concessioning in its transactions.
A statement signed by the Head, Public Communications, BPE, Hajia Amina Tukur Othman, noted that the BPE boss informed the NLC president that BPE is working closely with the Accountant General’s Office to ensure the payment of all outstanding severance liabilities arising from the 2013 privatisation of the power sector, in accordance with agreements made with labour unions.
In response, Mr. Ajero thanked the Ag. DG for the visit and pledged the collaboration of the NLC with the Bureau in its reform activities.
It is worth noting that, in 2023 the BPE, along with other sister agencies, conducted a verification exercise for the payment of the agreed 16-month severance benefits to former staff of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), including certified Next-of-Kin (NOK) of deceased ex-staff. The exercise took place in twelve designated centers over four phases across the country.