Reps seek constitution of privatisation council

Urge FG’s efforts at freeing remaining Chibok girls

The House of Representatives yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently constitute National Council on Privatisation (NCP) in line with Section 9 (1) and (2) (a-j) of the Public Enterprises (Privatisation and Commercialisation) Act, which has authorised the setting up of the council.

In a motion by Ahmed Yerima (APC, Bauchi), the lawmakers regretted that despite that the law has empowered the Federal Government to set up the council to regulate government’s policy on privatisation, the body, with the required membership, is yet to be constituted.

Yerima, who noted that all activities, including budgets of Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), ought to be approved by the council, regretted that the budgets of 2016 and 2017 were approved by the BPE without the council in place.

The House also urged the Nigeria Police and personnel of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to immediately disperse traders who use pedestrian bridges in Abuja as stalls, so as to ensure the security of their users across the country.

It said there was need to decongest the bridges to allow pedestrians move freely on them and use them at all times, especially those established around busy roads.

In another development, the House yesterday called on the Federal Government to hasten negotiations towards the release of the remaining Chibok girls that are still held captive.

The lawmakers mandated the House Committee on Women Affairs to review the efforts of government towards the release of the girls.The committee has also been asked to ascertain the condition and level of rehabilitation so far carried out on the 21 girls released in October last year.

This followed the adoption of a motion for the Federal Government to expedite action towards the release of the remaining Chibok girls by Asabe Vilita Bashir (APC, Borno).