Nigeria's Minister Of Aviation, Stella Oduah, Declares War On $1.6 Million BMW Armored Car “Whistleblower”

caption:
Minister Of Aviation, Stella Oduah

News source:saharaReporters

SaharaReporters has learnt that Nigeria's Aviation Ministry
has decided to go after one of its officials on suspicion that
he leaked the information on the purchase of two luxury

armored vehicles for the private use of its Minister, Stella
Oduah.
A hint to the ministry's decision was given at a press
conference in Abuja on Friday addressed by Folayele
Akinkuotu, the Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation
Authority (NCAA), the agency implicated in the scandalous
purchase of the two vehicles at a whooping cost of $1.6
million (or N255 million).
Mr. Akinkuotu stated that "Nicholas Edwards", a member of
staff of the ministry who allegedly leaked the information to
journalists, was on the run. He also condemned the leak
that exposed the purchase of the two armored cars.
In what turned out to be a second rationale for the
fraudulent purchase, Mr. Akinkuotu described the two cars
as operational vehicles. He also claimed that transporting
the Minister and aviation-related foreign dignitaries was
part of this operation.
"It is internationally customary to convey our Minister and
these visiting foreign dignitaries in security vehicles
whenever they are in Nigeria," he said. "It must be noted
that during such visitations, the security of members of the
delegations is the sole responsibility of the host country. The
vehicles are therefore in the pool of the NCAA for these
special assignments and are available at NCAA office and
can be shown to you."
Mr. Akinkuotu further said that the purchase of the two cars
was not the first time his agency had procured high security
vehicles for the aforementioned purposes, although he did
not provide any details of previous transactions, their cost,
or why two new vehicles were required at this time.
Automobile sales companies in the US and the UK stated
that each of the cars should be priced between $167,000
and $200,000. Mr. Akinkuotu insisted that necessary
procurement procedures and due process were followed.
Ms. Oduah has come under the relentless scrutiny of civil
society and commentators who are calling for her to be
fired, with the Anti-Corruption Network and prominent
human rights attorney, Femi Falana, also threatening to file
a civil suit on Monday morning.
SaharaReporters had revealed that Ms. Oduah compelled
the NCAA, a cash strapped agency under her supervision,
to procure the cars for her with public funds in a case that
reeks of corruption, conflict of interest, and abuse of office.
Documents published by SaharaReporters show that the
transaction to procure the cars started last June. Things
were then sped up with the cars supposedly delivered on
August 13, 2013. J.D Nkemakolam, the former Acting
Managing Director of the NCAA, sent a letter to the
Managing Director of Coscharis Motors asking the company
to deliver two BMW 760 armored vehicles to the agency
based on a pro-forma invoice dated June 25, 2013 at the
cost of N127, 575,000 ($796,846.21) each.
The total amount for the two black BMW Li HSS vehicles,
with chassis numbers BAHP41050DW68032 and
WBAHP41010DW68044 respectively, was
N255,150,000, or $1,593,687.31.
Further investigations by SaharaReporters and several
Nigerian citizens have however shown that the cars cost
considerably less everywhere else in the world.
Trying to limit the damage on Friday, Mr. Akinkuotu said
that not only was his agency focused on enforcing standards
and promoting safety in line with ICAO and Nigerian Civil
Aviation Regulations (NCARs), but that NCAA has the
appropriate resources required for discharging these
functions.
Without providing contrary information to what has been
reported, notably by SaharaReporters, he said he was
"shocked to note that online media platforms (paparazzi)
are now the sources of information for some mainstream
media."
Commenting on Mr. Akinkuotu's "tales by moonlight" on
Friday evening, a commentator told SaharaReporters, "If the
Minister of Civil Aviation requires a pool of cars that cost
N127 million each, how many cars, and of what caliber,
does the President of the Federal republic require?" Earlier
in the day, Premium Times reported that the whereabouts of
the two luxury cars remain a mystery.
Sources told the
online newspaper that Ms. Oduah had never been seen
riding in them or using them for any official purpose,
contrary to the story told by Mr. Akinkuotu at his press
conference.
Later yesterday, a source at the NCAA also told
SaharaReporters that the cars were never physically
delivered to the agency, adding that the minister just
ordered the transport manager at the NCAA to sign a
delivery note. The question is whether the cars were ever
actually bought, or the transaction was a ruse aimed at
looting public funds the Minister knew to be available to
NCAA.
Although Mr. Akinkuotu claimed the cars were in the pool
of the NCAA at yesterday's conference, he did not show
any evidence of their existence, only bragging that he could
take reporters to see them if they wanted. Mr. Akinkuotu
shocked reporters at the press conference when he claimed
he did not know the cost of the vehicles.
SaharaReporters learnt that the Presidency pressured Mr.
Akinkuotu to hold the press conference in defense of the
minister following the public outcry that greeted the
revelations of the transactions, especially the scandalous
price of the two cars.
Remarkably, Mr. Akinkuotu's reasons for purchasing the
cars differ from the initial reason offered by the minister's
spokesperson, Joe Obi. Earlier, Mr. Obi had claimed that the
vehicles were purchased for the sole use of the minister
because her life was in danger due to some "reforms" she
carried out in the aviation sector.
Source:saharareporters