Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar Tuesday reviewed his stewardship with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, stating that he was queried by Obasanjo, his boss then, for suggesting the privatisation of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NPPC).
Abubakar, who spoke at a book presentation, titled; “We are all Biafrans” written by Chido Onuma, stated that idea of setting up a North East Development Commission (NEDC) as being proposed by the present administration was not necessary.
According to him, the situations in the North East and Niger Delta are not the same even though the North East deserves national and international attention.
Abubakar, who spoke as the chairman of the book launch, revealed that he advised against the policy of gas to power plants as a means to increase power generation, because he believed they would not work given the high level of vandalism.
He said: “President Obasanjo refused to listen to me on gas to power plants. With gas to power plant, you will not get electricity and we have been trying it since 2002, we have not got there and we will never get there.”
According to him, he advised the President on investment in hydro electricity in order to increase power to the national grid.”
Speaking on the Niger Delta issue, he stated that his administration as a Vice President invested in the Niger Delta, but that the Niger Delta Ministry was his campaign idea in 2007 when he lost the presidency to late President Umar Yar’Adua.
Abubakar explained that why the Niger Delta Ministry has not yield much improvement in the area was as a result of where it is sited. According to him, it would have been sited in the Niger Delta area.
He, however, explained that this could not be so because the founder of Niger Delta Ministry, late President Yar’Adua was not prepared to become President.
