From Fred Itua, Abuja

Barely one week after it outrightly opposed the sale of national assets by the Federal Government, Senate Leader Ali Ndume has revealed that lawmakers have not foreclosed all the available options, as concession remains another viable alternative.
Ndume disclosed this at the weekend while briefing newsmen in Abuja. The Federal Government is considering the sale of national assets as way of bailing Nigeria out of the current economic recession. Senator Ndume said the reason behind the Upper Chamber’s rejection of the sales of the assets as contained in its recommendations to President Muhammadu Buhari, was due to non-adherence to constitutional provisions.
According to the Senate Leader, further consideration into the matter was not foreclosed, since the Federal Government could go ahead with concession plans of some assets, a decision which he maintained that the Senate was not opposed to any way.
He said: “The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in its recommendations rejected the sale of national assets as way out of the country’s economic problems. Let me, however, make it clear that what prompted its decision was because the process was without recourse to the laid constitutional provisions of doing so.
“However, it is safe to say much as the Senate rejects the sale of our nation assets, there is the other option of concessioning which we are open to. As such, it cannot be said the matter is foreclosed.
“Under concessioning agreement, the nation will over time take back these assets after being run and managed by those with whom a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was entered into,” he said.