Economic Confidential

After what has been described as a tumultuous tenure, the Federal Government finally sacked Bolanle Onagoruwa as Director General of Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) after two years on the saddle.

The most senior director in the BPE, Benjamin Ezra Dikki, was announced as acting director-general, in a statement signed by the senior special assistant to the vice president on media and publicity, Umar Sanni.

There have been a rising torrent of criticism against BPE over controversies and mismanagement of privatisation procedures. One of the contentious issues concerned the engagement of Canada’s Manitoba Hydro Electric to manage the Transmission Company of Nigeria.

Her tenure, like that of previous chief executives of that agency, was enmeshed in controversies associated with the handling of the privatisation process.

The new acting Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki, was until his appointment by President Goodluck Jonathan the Director of Industries and Services at the agency.

Born on December 30, 1958, Dikki is a 1980 accounting graduate of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. He also holds an M.B.A from ABU and has attended several courses and seminars in Nigeria and abroad. He became a licensed stockbroker in June 1993.

Dikki joined the BPE as a Director on December 1, 2004 and has served in many departments, starting as Director of Power and Communications. He has also served as Director, Finance and Management Support; Director Transport and Aviation; and Director Communications and Capital Market).

He is married with three biological children and other adopted ones. He is from Zuru Local Government Area of Kebbi State.

The Office of the Director General of Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) is charged with the overall responsibility of overseeing the affairs of the Bureau in the implementation of the decisions of the National Council of Privatisation (NCP) on the entire privatisation policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria. The director general also serves as Secretary of the NCP.