Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and erstwhile minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir El-Rufai, have resurrected the ghost of the controversial Pentascope deal through which the federal government tried to privatize Nigeria’s national telecoms carrier, the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited, NITEL.

The two politicians have been throwing verbal missiles at each while also accusing each other of corruption in a deal many believed was fraught with corruption.

Mr. El-Rufai fired the first salvo through his book “The Accidental Public Servant”, when he suggested that Atiku, as chairman of the National Council on Privatization, NCP, meddled in the privatisation of NITEL which ultimately truncated the process.

Atiku, in his capacity as the Vice President of the Federal Republic, was chairman of the NCP, the government committee entrusted with the responsibilty of managing the privatization programme initiated by the Olusegun Obasanjo adminstration to handle the disposal of public enterprises to interested Nigerians and other categories of investors.

Mr. El-Rufai alleged that Atiku’s meddlesomeness suggested he had pecuniary interest in some of the deals.

But Atiku fired back saying the former minister was bitter because a particular bidder, Motorola, lost out in one of the transactions.


“The fact of the contract are like this: Obasanjo agreed with the NCP that the former BPE DG was wrong not to have disclosed his interest and that he had failed the test of transparency by not disclosing that his brother was on the board of Motorola,” Atiku told The Punch.

“You know, for instance, that it is a very serious offence to fail, refuse or neglect to disclose your interest whether directly or through someone else, in dealing with such an important transaction. But, the President in his wisdom decided that the contract be split into three, with each of the contenders, Motorola, Ericsson and the Chinese company – I think Huawei – taking a portion. As if to vindicate the NCP, by 2007 when we left office, the two others apart from Motorola had completed their own contracts. You can go and find out if they (Motorola) have finished.

He continued, “I would like Nigerians to be smart enough to read between the lines. Why does the former FCT minister treat the Motorola issue with such persistent personal bitterness? Why is he making it a heavy matter? Anybody can play to the gallery and deceive the people. Transparency is a key issue of conducting any business, including privatisation. Conflict of interest is inconsistent with transparency.

“If you are a privatisation head and you have a relationship with a particular person connected with one of the companies making bids, it is a moral and legal duty to disclose that relationship or interest. Pretending that you have no relationship with the person who is rooting for a particular bidder is not altogether tidy and transparent. If he had no interest in a particular company for sentimental reasons, why is he making too much fuss about Motorola losing the bid?”

However, Atiku’s comment has sparked Mr. El-Rufai’s fury. On Monday, Mr. El-Rufai came out firing on all cylinders, pointedly accusing the former vice president of manipulating the deal.

“It is understandable that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would be enduring some unease at the disclosures made in “The Accidental Public Servant”, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s recent book”, Muyiwa Adekeye, Media Advisor to Mr. El-Rufai said in a statement on Monday.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/127840-atiku-el-rufai-in-war-of-words-over-controversial-pentascope-deal.html?tztc=1

Same shit, different toilet

I don't believe all these propaganda of atiku been corrupt

If he was saint obi won't be anywhere near him let alone been obi mentor

Legitisreal:
I don't believe all these propaganda of atiku been corrupt

If he was saint obi won't be anywhere near him let alone been obi mentor

Even Obi himself is corrupt

kilimanjaro:

Even Obi himself his corrupt

I don't know again o

But I know birds of a feather flock together, so obi can not be saint without flowing with his mentor saint atiku

kilimanjaro:

Even Obi himself his corrupt

The article is about Atiku nd El rufai wetin concern obi name for there? Is Obi living rent free in ur empty cooler u call head? Omo 😬😬😬

fuckingAyaya:
The article is about Atiku nd El rufai wetin concern obi name for there? Is Obi living rent free in ur empty cooler u call head? Omo 😬😬😬

Didn't you see the post I quoted? You must be suffering from dyslexia! Foolish boy.

Legitisreal:
I don't know again o

But I know birds of a feather flock together, so obi can not be saint without flowing with his mentor saint atiku

You nailed it bro. And this is common sense