Trying times for Oduah over N255m armoured cars

[Mirror]

This is certainly not the best of time for Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, as she is now enmeshed in the controversy regarding two BMW 760 armoured cars worth N255m allegedly purchased for her by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA.

Since the matter broke out two weeks ago, it has raised a lot of dust and generated reactions from civil society groups and union leaders in the aviation industry who are calling for the sack of the minister accusing her of corruption, incompetence and negligence of duties.

The Senate as well as the House of Representatives have already commenced probe into the matter. Oduah was very active in the election campaign of President Goodluck Jonathan when she served as Director of Administration and Finance.

She became minister on July 2, 2011 and later assumed position as Aviation minister Since then, there has been some air mishaps but the two major air crashes had occurred in the country are that of the Dana Airline on June 3, 2012 killing about 157 passengers on board and another crash on October 3, this year, involving Associated Airlines conveying the corpse of former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Agagu from Lagos to Akure in which no fewer than 15 people lost their lives.

The minister was absent at the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting last Wednesday as she had travelled to Israel for the signing of a Bilateral Agreement Air Service Agreement, BASA, with Nigeria.

The agreement is to ensure that there was direct flight from Nigeria to Israel considering the large number of Nigerians who go on annual pilgrimage to the holy land.

While in the holy land, the minister would also use the opportunity to fervently pray to God to survive this trying time and spiritual solution to the incidents of air crashes in the country. But shortly before Jonathan left the country for Israel to take part in the annual pilgrimage to the holy land where he would also meet with top officials of the Israeli government, he constituted a three-man panel of inquiry to investigate the purchase of the controversial vehicles.

The panel is headed by former Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Isa bello Sali, while the two other members are National Security Adviser, NSA,, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd) and Air Vice Marshal Dick Iruenaberi (rtd).

According to him, the panel is saddled with the task of investigating whether the procurement process with regards to the armoured vehicles followed due process as well as to find out the purpose to which the vehicles were procured and then to inquire into any other incidental matter.

Abati stated that nobody no matter how highly placed would be shielded from the probe while appropriate action would be taken against any person or persons who may be found guilty of any misconduct or misappropriation.

"Let me assure you that President Jonathan will like to assure the general public that nobody no matter how highly placed will be shielded or exempted from this inquiry that he has directed and that appropriate action will be taken against any person or persons who maybe found guilty of misconduct or misappropriation of public funds either in this respect or in any other respect," he said.

Source: Trying times for Oduah over N255m armoured cars