Sales of state-owned assets not to fund 2026 budget deficit, says Bagudu
The Minister of Economic Planning and Budget, Senator Abubakar Bagudu on Wednesday said the Federal Government sales of state-owned assets not meant to fund part of over N25 trillion 2026 budget deficit
He,however, stressed that the deficit can benefit from the initiative currently considered by President Bola Tinubu’s led administration.
Speaking on AriseTV, the Minister noted that the sale of state-owned assets has been an ongoing national discussion since 1991 that led to the creation of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).
He noted that the creation of BPE revealed that the government has been holding too many assets that are not generating value to Nigerians.
He cited NNPCL spending $1.5billion recently on moribund refineries, questioning the reason for holding on to such assets.
“Our aspiration is to utilize our oil & gas assets. The government has held on assets that investors are not coming into the country to invest in. There are opportunities for investors to come and buy into these state-owned assets so that they can be put to use and contribute to our national prosperity.”
