BPE seeks collaboration with labour union on privatisation of public assets

The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), led by its Acting Director General, Ignatius O. Ayewoh, recently reached out to the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajero in a bid to seek collaborations with the labour union.

The purpose of the visit was to solicit cooperation from the Labour Union in the ongoing reform and privatisation initiatives of the Federal Government.

During the meeting, Ayewoh stated the significance of aligning efforts with labour unions to safeguard the interests of workers throughout the process of government agency reforms.

He expressed appreciation to Ajero and the Union for their past support and urged for sustained collaboration, especially as members of the Technical Committee (TC) of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP).

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Drawing attention to BPE’s track record of successes across various sectors of the Nigerian economy, including telecommunications, banking, Eleme petrochemicals, and port terminal concessions, Ayewoh outlined the Bureau’s current strategic focus on implementing Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models and concessioning in its transactions.

Moreover, Ayewoh disclosed ongoing efforts by BPE to coordinate with the Accountant General’s Office to settle all outstanding severance liabilities arising from the 2013 privatisation of the power sector, following agreements reached with labour unions.

In response, Ajero extended gratitude to the Acting DG for the visit and assured the NLC’s commitment to collaborate with BPE in its reform endeavors.

It is noteworthy that in 2023, BPE, alongside sister agencies, conducted a verification exercise to facilitate the payment of 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 verification process unfolded across twelve designated centers over four phases nationwide.