Paul Ibe, media aide to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed claims that his principal planned to sell the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to personal associates, describing the remark as a joke that was taken out of context.
Ibe made the clarification during an interview on Trust TV while speaking on opposition politics and the preparedness of the African Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 general election.
Responding to comparisons between Atiku’s views on the petroleum sector and the policies of the Bola Tinubu administration, Ibe insisted that the former vice-president never intended to hand over the NNPC to friends.
He said the comment emerged from a light-hearted exchange between Atiku and an interviewer, adding that it was later exaggerated beyond its original intent.
According to Ibe, the real message from the interview was Atiku’s long-standing position that Nigeria should dispose of moribund public assets that continue to drain government resources.
He argued that successive administrations had wasted huge sums maintaining non-performing oil assets, stressing that privatisation offered a more viable and sustainable alternative.
Ibe noted that several refineries, including those in Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Warri, remain idle despite continued payment of salaries, questioning the rationale behind government retaining such assets.
He maintained that government should focus on creating an enabling environment for businesses rather than running commercial ventures.
Atiku had, during the build-up to the 2019 presidential election, publicly declared his commitment to privatising the NNPC, stating at a Lagos business forum that he would pursue the plan regardless of opposition.