N255m Car Scandal: No Cover-up For Oduah - Presidency
The Presidency on Thursday promised that President Goodluck Jonathan will not cover up the embattled Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah, on the N255m bulletproof cars bought for her by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Mr. Ahmed Gulak, made the Presidency’s position known in an exclusive interview with newsmen.
But despite the assurances from the Presidency, Nigerian lawyers said they had no confidence in the ability of the probe panels and committees set up to bring the minister to book if found guilty.
Gulak told Saturday PUNCH that the position of the President remained that whoever is found wanting, no matter how highly placed, would be sanctioned appropriately.
He said if Jonathan planned a cover-up for the embattled minister, he would not have bothered to query her and constitute an administrative probe panel to investigate the matter.
The presidential aide added that the fact that the National Assembly was also investigating the matter showed
the seriousness the government attached to the issue.
He, therefore, appealed to all stakeholders to wait for the three-man administrative panel to conclude its assignment next week and see what the President will do based on the report before forming their opinions on the issue.
Gulak said, “How can people be accusing the President of planning to cover up the minister?
“If he had planned a cover-up for her, he would not have bothered to query her. If he wanted to do cover up, the President would not have constituted a probe panel to investigate the matter.
“I can tell you authoritatively that President Jonathan will not cover up anybody.
“We should all wait for the outcome of the panel and see what the President will do. What I know is that he will not hesitate to sanction anybody found wanton, no matter how highly placed.
But, lawyers who spoke to Saturday PUNCH on Thursday said all the committees set up by both the National Assembly and the Presidency were not necessary, saying the job should be left to anti-corruption agencies.
According to Mr. Bamidele Aturu, a lawyer, the committees whether by the Presidency or the House of Assembly constitute a waste of resources and time.
He said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent and Corrupt Practices Commission ought to take up the investigation instead of the media show or soap opera that the committees were engaged in.
He said the minister should have saved the President the embarrassment that her continued stay in office had caused rather than going before the committee to give what clearly was no more than an attempt to rationalise the indefensible.
Another lawyer, Jiti Ogunye, said the whole investigation by the House of Assembly and the Presidency was diversionary, adding that the committees were only blowing hot air.
He said the Presidency should have directed the EFCC and ICPC to investigate the matter. ‘’Let criminal investigation commence and if a case is established against her, let prosecution follow,’’ he added.
He described the minister’s defence as hogwash, an afterthought and an untenable pretext for the unpardonable act of squandering public funds by her ministry and the department which her ministry supervised.
He said the issue was not whether the vehicles were meant for her personally but the fact that under her watch the vehicles were bought at outrageous price and the purchase did not follow due process.
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