Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to give other tiers of government their share of proceeds from privatised national assets.
The governor spoke while receiving members of the Senate Committee on Privatisation at the Government House in Ikeja.
Fashola contended that since the privatised assets belonged to all Nigerians, the Federal Government ought to give states and local governments their share in the spirit of federalism.
He said: “I am not against privatisation as a principle.
“In fact, privatisation promotes efficiency and we have seen that in the banking sector, the media and telecom industry.
“But as we privatise, we need to understand what we are doing and do things right because not doing so has consequences.
“Now the Federal Government has been keeping to itself proceeds from privatised assets and I think that is not fair enough.
“This is because the assets that are sold are not assets of the Federal Government.
“They are the assets of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Therefore, the proceeds cannot go into the Federal Government purse.
“It must go into the Federal Account.”
The governor said that by now, one would have expected that there could be applications by states and councils on the sharing formula.
Fashola said: “Indeed, all the land of the sold assets belongs to the people of the country.
“The land acquired compulsorily from communities so the country can benefit.
“So these proceeds should not belong to the Federal Government.
“It should belong to all the people and it should be shared by all.”
Fashola urged the Federal Government to always carry all stakeholders, particularly communities, along in the privatisation process to avoid post-exercise agitation.
On special status for Lagos State, Fashola said Lagos deserved special attention from the Federal Government as a former capital.
He said that most of the federal infrastructure in the state were in bad state and a state that contributed so much to the GDP did not deserve such.
Fashola also complained of the gridlock and filth around Apapa Ports, calling on the Federal Government to fulfil its promise to repair some bad roads in the area and end the problem.
“The country generates a lot of revenue from the ports, so it makes some sense to put things right there,” he said.
Senator Gbenga Obadara, the Chairman of the Committee, who led other members on the visit, said they were aware of the problems in Apapa and would intervene to end them.
Obadara said Apapa was too strategic to the national economy to be left in a confused state.
He said: “We are aware of the problems in Apapa and Ports area, the gridlock caused by bad roads, activities of tankers as well as the filth there.
“The fact is: we are losing revenue if we allow things to remain like that.
“We will intervene and interface with stakeholders at the port to change the situation and that is part of the reason we are in Lagos.”
Obadara commended Fashola for his achievements in Lagos State, noting that the state was much better under his administration.
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