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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