Nigeria
Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah has told members of the House
of Representatives Committee on Aviation that the N255million BMW armoured
cars were not bought for her personal use but for the Ministry.
Oduah
told members of the committee that the BMW’s were purchased for the official
use of the Ministry and the Minister and not her personal property.
“As
you all are aware, what necessitated this public hearing were the
events that followed a false and malicious online publication that I had
compelled the NCAA to purchase for me 2 nos BMW bullet proof cars at
the cost of $1.6million. ”
“Let me state emphatically that from the onset that the
allegation concerning the purchase of the 2 nos bullet proof cars for me by the
NCAA is false in its entirety
On whether she acted within the ambit of the law in giving
approval beyond N100 million , she said she approved the money and asked the
NCAA to do the needfull.
What is the needfull? The Committee and the minister disagreed on
what do the needfull meant.
She had claimed that in her approval she said kindly do the
needfull.
Rep Mohammed took on her that saying the needfull means a go ahead
to implement.
Responding, Oduah said”no you are wrong on that the needfull does
not mean full approval. ”
The NCAA DG Folu Akinkuotu was asked whether he did the needfull,
he said he was not In-charge at NCAA when the order was given for the purchase.
The permanent secretary of the Ministry, George Ossi was tackled
for misleading the minister by not appropriately advising her.
Nkemakolam said we interpreted the directive to mean to go through
it in line with the procurement Act. He said they did the due diligence but
they had a mindset that they were within the budget limit.
Rep Manwe asking the former DG of NCAA to disclose who uses the
controversial bullet proof cars since the Minister bluntly confessed that they
were not bought for her use.
“Who is using the vehicles now since the Minister said they were
not purchased for her?” he asked.
To the DG, that was one question that got him jolted. Minutes
passed before he could provide an answer. And when he finally found his voice,
he said “Anybody can use the vehicles when they are in the pool. They are
operational vehicles.”
But the Lawmaker wouldn’t give up. He continued with a rider to the
question.
“Do you mean that a messenger or cleaner in the agency can use the
cars?” He asked. At this juncture, the hearing room became deadened in silence
with the DG losing his voice for the second time.
And when again, he found it, he answered this way: “those categories
of vehicles are for VIPs which include the Minister, including you, the
Honorable.”
Just then a blast of laughter erupted in the hall which to some
extent provided some comic relief to everyone in the hall.
In her closing remark, the chairperson, Onyejeocha assured
Nigerians that justice would be done to the report of the hearing.
“Fact speak for itself. We have tried to listen to people:
Coscharis, the Minister, NCAA, First Bank We assure everyone and all Nigerian that
we will do justice to this hearing,” Onyejeocha said.
Speaking with some Journalists shortly after the hearing, the
Minister, Oduah expressed gratitude to the National Assembly for giving her an
opportunity to present her own side of the story.
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