Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, has questioned the accelerated approval granted to Oando Plc, owned by President Bola Tinubu’s nephew, Wale Tinubu, to acquire Eni’s onshore assets. Atiku alleges preferential treatment, citing stalled transactions like the Shell/Renaissance deal and the Mobil/Seplat transaction.
In a statement, Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, emphasized that Oando received undue favoritism, detrimental to more competent investors. Atiku criticized the House of Representatives for inaction on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), allowing the “mortgaging of national oil assets to vested interests.”
Atiku highlighted the swift approval of Oando’s deal within eight months, contrasting it with the stalled Seplat and Renaissance transactions. He accused the Tinubu administration of implementing a sham subsidy regime, citing the NNPC’s financial statement and IMF estimates.
Atiku condemned the rise in human rights abuses under Tinubu’s administration, particularly the arrest and intimidation of journalists. He criticized the use of the Cyber Crime Prevention Act 2015 as a tool for abduction and the National Cybercrime Centre’s transformation into the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
