By Kolawole Ojebisi
Former Vice-President, Namadi Sambo, has warned the duo of President Bola Tinubu and Minister of Finance, Wale Edun to keep ex-minister of budget and planning, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, at arms length.
Sambo maintained that the current administration should be wary of Usman, describing him as inconsistent and disloyal.
He issued the warning while dismissing Usman’s claims that the Goodluck Jonathan administration prioritized political interest over technical or financial capabilities of buyers in its 2013 power sector privatization process.
This is contained in a statement issued by Sambo’s personal secretary, Mr. Yinka Ibrahim, on Tuesday.
According to the statement, Sambo described the allegation as “false, mischievous, and hypocritical”, saying it was intended to tarnish the image of the Goodluck Jonathan administration and the National Council on Privatization, which he chaired at the time.
The statement read, “This is utterly ridiculous and a complete falsehood. Dr. Usman had made the remarks during a recent event in Abuja, where he claimed that political figures and officials in the Jonathan administration scrambled for stakes in the privatized power companies.”
Sambo dismissed the claims as baseless, explaining that he was not aware of any decision that compromised the integrity of the process.
He stressed that as Chairman of the Privatization Council, he carried out his responsibilities in line with established procedures and in the best interest of the nation, which he said was widely acknowledged by the local and international communities.
“It is surprising that he would make such accusations more than a decade later. One can only wonder if this is an attempt to curry favor with the current administration,” the statement added.
Sambo noted that it is unfortunate to see someone who was so close to power and indeed the privatization process now turning around to discredit it, stressing that it is a classic case of biting the hand that fed him.
