***Commissioner warns, says official notice yet to be published
By Florencemary Nwabueze
ENUGU — The Enugu State Government has debunk, the news circulating regardung selling of major state-owned facilities, including the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, the Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS), and the Enugu State Water Corporation.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Dr. Nathaniel Urama, dismissed the reports as "erroneous" and "misleading," clarifying that the government's intended disposal concerns only unserviceable assets located at these facilities—not the institutions or their core infrastructure themselves.
The clarification comes after a formal procurement notice began making rounds on social media, inviting interested and qualified bidders to submit offers for the purchase of selected government assets in Enugu and Lagos. The notice, allegedly issued by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development in accordance with the Enugu State Public Procurement Law, 2021, listed properties belonging to the Water Corporation, ESBS, the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, and the state's Liaison Office in Lagos.
Dr. Urama emphasized that as of Thursday, August 27, the official notice had not yet been published. He stressed that the proposed disposal strictly targets items that have become unserviceable and are no longer of use to the state—not the facilities housing them.
"The information is erroneous and it is neither from Enugu State Government nor the State Ministry of Finance," Urama stated. "We, therefore, advise the general public to please ignore the message circulating in the media."
According to the alleged original procurement notice, prospective bidders seeking detailed information on the listed assets were directed to contact the Head of Department, Planning, Research and Statistics, or the Office of the Permanent Secretary at the ministry. Completed bid documents were to be submitted in sealed envelopes, clearly marked "Bid Document," on or before Friday, August 28, 2026, addressed to the Commissioner at the Old Eastern House of Assembly Complex, GRA, Enugu.
The ministry also specified that the bids would be publicly opened at 10 a.m. on Friday, August 28, at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development—a process the government insists will be conducted in line with applicable public procurement regulations.
However, the Commissioner's intervention suggests the government is keen to avoid a repeat of the backlash that historically accompanied previous asset divestitures in the state. Residents and civil society groups have long memories of the failed privatizations of Niger Steel, Anambra Vegetable Oil Products (AVOP), and the Aluminum Products Factory—industries that were sold off to private handlers, only to be abandoned, stripped, or left to decay into overgrown shells.
The government reiterated that any official notice on the disposal of the unserviceable assets would be duly published through the appropriate channels. Urama also urged the public and media organizations to verify information through official government channels before sharing or publishing it, warning against the spread of fake news and deliberate misrepresentation of government activities.