This particular case has hook them in the throat and they really can't push it away. More so because people are being arrested and detained for exercising their ultimate sovereignty role. Or has some one in government forgotten that the people, yes the masses are the ultimate sovereign in any democracy? That is some thing we will talk about in detail some day. Back to the issue at hand, I ask, why is the Aviation minister not on suspension yet? At least pending full hearing and investigation. I ask because the office of the Aviation minister can not be operated in a questionable manner and pending the moment of her crisis, we can't deal with another plane crash due to over concentration on an already settle issue with a non concentrating minister. The issue has judged itself, all what we now see are mere demonstration of text book script. I believe the minister should stay suspended pending her investigation. My comment is following the story below
Management of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) admitted in Abuja before the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation on Thursday that the controversial purchase of N255 million two bulletproof vehicles allegedly for Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, was done without appropriation by the National Assembly.The agency told the committee at an investigative hearing that approval for the vehicles was obtained from the minister’s office.For more than five hours the management laboured to explain to the committee members how the prices of the vehicles were inflated along the line of purchase, as the NCAA in its memo to the minister claimed that they were sold at N70 million each, but eventually paid a little over N127 million each for the cars.But it denied buying the vehicles for the use of the Aviation Minister, just as it declined comments on whether the minister or any minister in Nigeria is allowed by law to use such vehicles as official cars.Joyce Nkemakolam, who was the Acting Director General of NCAA at the time, spoke at the hearing.Nkemakolam was asked to take the stage when the substantive DG of NCAA, Fola Akinkuotu, exonerated himself from the transaction, as he said the process was started and concluded before he assumed office in August.Equally, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) also washed its hands off the process of the procurement, as it told the committee that the NCAA did not inform it, nor seek permission before the contract for the purchase of the vehicles was awarded.The House committee is investigating the circumstances under which the car purchase was made.Nkemakolam said the NCAA in executing the 2013 budget had purchased 54 operational vehicles whereas the National Assembly approved only 25.The total sum approved in the 2013 budget for the vehicles was N240 million but the agency has committed N643 million to the purchase of operational vehicles, he added.Members of the committee on their part noted that the security vehicles approved for the NCAA were for the monitoring of the perimeter fences of the airport for which the BMW bulletproof is not suitable.The committee also reminded the agency that its initial 2013 budget proposal only contained the request for bulletproof vehicles which was rejected at the point of budget defence.Nkemakolam in his testimony corroborated the position of the committee on the rejection of the proposals for the purchase of the bulletproof cars.He, however, told the committee that proposal for purchase of the vehicles was written to the Minister of Aviation and was duly approved.While defending himself, Nkemakolam said all the vehicles bought for 2013 were funded by a bank and that payments on the vehicles, including the bullet-proof vehicles, were being made to the bank on monthly installment of N23 million.In the document before the committee, the agency admitted that the 2013 budget approved five Toyota Hilux pickups, 10 Toyota Corolla cars, five Toyota Lancruiser jeeps, three Toyota Hiace buses, all at a cost of N240 million but eventually bought 54 vehicles through the bank lease for N643 million which was financed by the bank.It was also discovered by the committee that the financing agreement between the agency and the bank showed that the NCAA was to repay the sum with an interest of about N500 million within the repayment plan period of 36 months.Two months’ installments on the repayment, the agency said, have been made to the financing bank.When asked by the committee on the propriety of committing the 2014 and 2015 budgets to repayment of excess debts incurred illegally in the process of implementing the 2013 budget, the agency could not provide any answer.The BPP, in its testimony, denied knowledge of the transaction, as it claimed that NCAA did not carry it along during the process of contract award and execution period.According to the BPP, which was represented by a director, the NCAA did not send any letter to it nor receive any certificate of no objection from the BPP before the contract for the purchase of the vehicles was awarded and executed.The BPP also put to lie the claim by the NCAA that an approved Civil Society Organisation (CSO) appointed by the BPP in tandem with the law, monitored the bid opening.According to BPP, the CSO attached to NCAA, Cope Africa, did not attend the bid opening, as it was engaged in another advocacy assignment in Ondo State at the time.The BPP also faulted the claim by NCAA that the lease agreement entered into by the NCAA and the financing bank did not need approval of BPP, as earlier claimed by the NCAA.According to the BPP, since the transaction involves government fund one way or the other, the BPP, by law, must be involved in the process of the contract award.Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, and the management of Coscharis Motors that supplied the vehicles are expected to show up at the committee sitting next Tuesday.daily independent.
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