After many years of work and dilly-dallying, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has finally concluded work on the much anticipated Anti-Trust Bill that will regulate corporations and protect consumers against unfair treatment and monopoly in the country.

This is one of the eight reform bills recently forwarded to the National Assembly by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) concerning monopoly, postal reforms and different modes of transportation to the National Assembly for passage into laws.

The Bills include Railway Bill, Inland Waterways Bill, Ports and Harbour Bill, Federal Roads Authority Bill, National Roads Fund Bill, National Transport Commission Bill, Competition and Consumer Protection Bill and Postal Sector Reform Bill.

His followed the conclusion of work on them by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and subsequent forwarding of the bills to FEC for consideration.

BPE Director General, Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki who made the disclosures while exchanging views on bills during donor agencies coordination meeting on infrastructure and Public Private Partnership (PPP) with the Nigeria Regional Office of the African Development Bank (AFDB) Group in Abuja on Monday, March 9, 2015 expressed the hope that with the necessary stakeholders’ engagement, the Bills would be passed within the current legislative year.

Other agencies that attended the presentation are; the World Bank, Japan International Corporation Association (JICA) and Nigerian Infrastructure Advisory Facility (NIAF).

Dikki said the purpose of the bills among others, was to abrogate existing monopoly laws and liberalize the various sectors to allow private sector participation, ensure a conducive business climate to encourage private investment, promote competition and institute a sound legal and regulatory framework that would ensure independent regulation; and to create an institutional frame work that delineates and defines the roles of policy formulators, operators and regulators.

The DG said six of the Bills are in the Transport sector which he maintained was another area of huge potentials for the Nigerian economy adding that when passed, the Bills would open up avenues for investments in road transport, water ways and railways.

Dikki noted that for the early passage of the Bills, the Bureau intends to embark on aggressive enlightenment/engagement of the relevant stakeholders on the objectives of the reforms and their impact on the Nigerian economy.

He added that “BPE wishes to achieve this through study tours, workshops, seminars and guided presentations”.

The DG said the Bills touch on critical sectors that would transform the country’s infrastructure landscape which would ultimately change the way business is done in Nigeria.

Earlier, the AFDB’s Chief Country Program Coordinator in the Regional Office, Nigeria, Dr. Andoh Mensah thanked the DG for giving an insight on the Reform Bills. He promised the Bank’s collaboration with the BPE until the Bills are passed.