Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah in another Car Scandal?
The embattled Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah, has been linked to another car purchase scandal.
This time, Oduah is said to have also approved the procurement of two Lexus Limousine cars and two Toyota Prado jeeps.
The minister is expected to appear
before the House Committee on Aviation which is investigating the
purchase of two BMW bulletproof cars for her by the Nigerian Civil
Aviation Authority at N255m.
But during the sitting by the Senate
Committee on Aviation which is probing the crisis in the Aviation
industry, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of
Nigeria , Mr. George Uriesi, said the Lexus Limousine cars and Toyota
Prado jeeps were in the custody of a bank.
Uriesi, who said the limousines were
bought for N60m each , added that he did not have details of the cost
of the Prado jeeps.
He explained that the bank whose name he did not give, funded the purchase of the four vehicles.
The FAAN chief told the six-member
committee that while Oduah gave the approval, somebody whose
name he
failed to mention, signed on his (Uriesi) behalf.
An obviously enraged Chairman of the
Senate Committee on Aviation, Mr. Hope Uzodinma, lambasted him for
receiving approval from the minister instead of the Federal Executive
Council.
He was therefore ordered to appear again before the committee on Monday with details of the transactions.
Uriesi, who was said to have sweated
in the air-conditioned room while the session lasted, was also asked
to bring along with him, details of other vehicles bought for the
agency’s directors.
The Senate panel also resolved to
inspect the N255m bulletproof cars parked at the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport, Abuja.
Meanwhile, members of the House of
Representatives Committee on Aviation are set to quiz Oduah on
Wednesday(today) over the controversial bulletproof cars.
The minister, who was summoned by the
committee to appear before it on Tuesday, had written , explaining
that she had travelled to Israel to sign the Bilateral Air Service
Agreement between Nigeria and Israel.
On Monday, the committee headed by
Mrs. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, said Oduah would now appear on Wednesday and
not Tuesday as ealier scheduled.
It claimed that the decision was to give all stakeholders the opportunity to prepare their documents.
But the committee warned that it
would not hesitate to take necessary actions against Oduah if she failed
to turn up today (Wednesday).
As of 10pm on Tuesday, it was unclear
if Oduah, who was on Monday accused by the House Committee on Public
Procurement of shunning similar invitations 12 times, had returned from
Israel.
As part of its preparations for the
hearing, a five-member sub-committee of the Onyejeocha-led Aviation
panel on Tuesday discreetly inspected the controversial bulletproof
cars at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
A source privy to the visit, informed The PUNCH that the aim was to “truly establish that the cars were bought.”
The source added, “This is an investigation and you do not leave anything to chance.
“The idea of the inspection team was to go to the location and physically see the cars.
“All these will form part of the final report to the House.”
When contacted, Onyejeocha confirmed that a team visited the airport to inspect the cars.
She, however, parried questions on the details of what the team saw.
The committee chairman said, “Yes, it is true that we set up a committee to go and inspect the cars.
“The committee went to the airport but they have not reported back to us.
“If you are interested, come to the hearing tomorrow, please, PUNCH.”
A senior official of the NCAA, who
accompanied the sub-committee to the airport said the lawmakers “saw
the two bulletproof cars .”
The source added, “They were
satisfied. Some of them even stated that people were beginning to
insinuate that there were no cars. So, I think people can now ask the
House members whether there are cars or not.”
Asked if the committee members were
also shown the limousines parked at the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria
site at the airport, the official said, “I don’t like joining issues,
because people are beginning to write what they like.
“The cars we are talking about here are the bulletproof cars and not limousines.”
The House spokesman, Zakari Mohammed,
said sanctions that could be imposed on Oduah if she failed to appear
before the Aviation committee included issuing a bench warrant to
facilitate her arrest.
He said, “What the committee will do is
to apply to the Speaker (Mr. Aminu Tambuwal) for a bench warrant to be
issued for her arrest.
“Once that is done and the speaker
approves it, the Inspector-General of Police will be directed to arrest
her and bring her before the committee.”
