The controversy trailing
the purchase of 2 BMW
armoured cars for the
minister of aviation, Stella
Oduah, has taken a
ridiculous dimension. The
agency at the centre of
the controversial purchase
of the vehicles and the
nation’s civil aviation
body - Nigerian Civil
Aviation Authority (NCAA)
- has denied that it has
any document relating to
the acquisition of the
controversial bulletproof
vehicles.
The development came as
indications emerged that
Stella Oduah may have
used the cars as a
smokescreen to engage in
serious money laundering,
with the knowledge of
higher authorities...
Curiously, NCAA’s denial,
which came after a
seven-day ultimatum
given to it by a human
rights activist, Femi
Falana (SAN), to furnish
his law firm with
information pertaining to
the transaction, also
contradicts its statement
before the House of Reps
Committee on Aviation
that the procurement of
the “operational vehicles”
was provided for in the
NCAA’s budget.
Falana had last week
invoked the Freedom of
Information Act when he
wrote the NCAA director-
general, Mr Fola
Akinkuotu, demanding the
documents, including
those of budgetary
approval and due process
for the whole transaction
as well as all the papers
of past acquisition of
such armoured cars.
In its reply to the request,
through the NCAA legal
adviser, Mr E.K
Chukwuma, Akinkuotu
said documents relating
to the latest purchase or
even previous purchases
of such cars are not in
their possession.
The letter reads: “I am
directed to your letter
dated 21st October 2013
on the above matter
(Request for information
on N255m armoured cars
for Aviation Minister, Ms
Stella Oduah) and to
inform you that the
Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority is not in
possession of any
document relating to the
purchase of armoured
cars for the Aviation
Minister, Ms Stella Oduah.
“With regard to your
request for records of
previous purchase of
armoured cars by the
Aviation Ministry or NCAA,
I am to inform you that
the Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority does not have
such records.”
Not satisfied, Falana
noted yesterday that he
would relate this latest
position of the NCAA to
the Economic and
Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, as a
back-up to a petition he
had written to it.
Armoured cars also
missing in NSA’s security
list
The controversial
bulletproof cars for Stella
Uduah are not on the
national security adviser’s
(NSA) official list of
armoured cars available
anywhere in Nigeria.
Ordinarily, no car dealer
or end user, including
private individuals,
security agencies and
government parastatals,
can bring in armoured
cars into the country
without obtaining end user
certificates from the office
of the NSA in Abuja.
Reporting that no
authorization certificate
was ever issued to either
the minister or the NCAA
to procure the
controversial vehicles, a
source said: “We have
thoroughly checked our
list and I can confirm that
at no time did we issue
end user certificate to
anyone to procure any
such cars. It is likely the
cars do not exist and that
the documents were either
forged to steal public
funds.
“But if the cars indeed
exist, the minister, the
NCAA and Coscharis
Motors will have to
explain why they sneaked
vehicles into our country
without authorisation. It is
a serious violation, and
the minister and other
people involved have a lot
of explanations to make.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment