President Tinubu Criticizes EX VP Atiku’s Role In Past Privatisation Efforts

President Bola Tinubu, during a Renewed Hope Agenda meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday, criticized opposition figures over their involvement in Nigeria’s past economic reforms with specific reference to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s leadership of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP).

Tinubu referenced the privatisation programme carried out under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, noting that Atiku served as chairman of the NCP, the body responsible for policy direction during the Bureau of Public Enterprises’ reform drive.

According to Tinubu, several key industrial assets handled during that period have not met expectations. He questioned the outcomes of the privatisation of:

- Ajaokuta Steel Company
- Delta Steel Company
- Other steel‑sector projects
Tinubu stated that these assets have not become fully operational despite being transferred to private management, adding that “they privatized the steel industry in Delta is it working today? They privatized Ajaokuta… is it working today?”

He also made a broader criticism of the opposition’s political conduct, saying they “privatized another man’s political party,” before concluding that “their job is done.”
Atiku’s role as NCP chairman placed him at the centre of Nigeria’s major privatisation decisions between 1999 and 2007, a period that continues to generate debate over the performance of the assets transferred to private operators.