AVIATION MINISTRY NIGERIA
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: on d glide
Posts: 80
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
AVIATION MINISTRY NIGERIA
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Ogba
Age: 53
Posts: 137
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Now an anti-corruption watchdog is trying to force the EFCC to investigate the purchase of the vehicles and get the President to fire Stella Oduah. Naturally, as she was a prominent supporter of the GLJ election campaign, absolutely nothing will happen and this will soon be forgotten as another scandal happens somewhere 
An anti-corruption watchdog led by a former legislator, Dino Melaye, has given Nigeria's Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah 72 hours to resign from office.
The ultimatum follows revelations by SaharaReporters that she arm-twisted a cash-strapped agency in the aviation ministry to purchase two armored BMW 760 Li cars at highly inflated prices.
Mr. Melaye told SaharaReporters that his group plans to embark on a series of actions aimed at forcing President Goodluck Jonathan to fire Mrs. Oduah as well as return the $1.6 million to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, which was forced to buy the cars.
A spokesperson for Mrs. Oduah today owned up to the ownership of the two cars after SaharaReporters provided documentation of the transaction on its website on Tuesday.
Mr. Melaye said the purchase of the vehicles was done in violation of various rules and laws guiding such high-level procurement by government officials, particularly the monetiazation policy of the federal government from which the minister was not exempt.
Among the plans, he said he will be in court next Tuesday to force the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to prosecute the Minister. In addition, a coalition of anti-corruption activists will picket the Aviation Ministry next week in an effort to force President Jonathan to remove her from office.
With reference to the cost of the vehicles, Mr. Melaye described them as “unconscionable,” recalling that the Speaker of the House of Representatives also purchased two Armored Mercedes Benz S-600 B7 grade armored cars a year ago for less than $800, 000.
He also disclosed that he had requested for quotations from Germany that show that the vehicles actually cost less than $200,000 each. Even then, he stressed, the Minister has no right to purchase the vehicles for her personal use.
He reminded President Jonathan that former President Olusegun Obasanjo or his immediate boss, late Umaru Yar'adua would have fired Mrs. Oduah since the scandal broke.
Meanwhile, aviation officials have disputed the version of Mrs. Oduah story that she was using the vehicle to protect herself against powerful enemies opposed to her in the ministry. A source told SaharaReporters that Mrs. Oduah has not used the vehicles for official purposes since they were taken to her home in Victoria Garden City (VGC) in Lagos. The source stated that there are several exotic cars purchased for the Minister in VGC if the EFCC or the police care to raid the place. The source also claimed that Mr. Oduah is building a hotel in VGC worth N3.5 billion from proceeds of kickbacks received from the airport remodeling projects scattered across the country.
The source further stated that Mr. Cosmas Maduka of Coscharis Group Limited, the supplier of the used 2008 model armored cars, might have given the minister and Mr. J. D. Nkemakolam, the former acting Director-General of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) who carried out the purchase up to $700,00 as kickback from the car purchase.
Mrs. Oduah is the former co-chair of Mr. Jonathan’s main presidential campaign outfit, Neighbor-2-Neighbor. She is not expected to face any retribution from the president who has recently declared corruption in his government to be “exaggerated.”
The ultimatum follows revelations by SaharaReporters that she arm-twisted a cash-strapped agency in the aviation ministry to purchase two armored BMW 760 Li cars at highly inflated prices.
Mr. Melaye told SaharaReporters that his group plans to embark on a series of actions aimed at forcing President Goodluck Jonathan to fire Mrs. Oduah as well as return the $1.6 million to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, which was forced to buy the cars.
A spokesperson for Mrs. Oduah today owned up to the ownership of the two cars after SaharaReporters provided documentation of the transaction on its website on Tuesday.
Mr. Melaye said the purchase of the vehicles was done in violation of various rules and laws guiding such high-level procurement by government officials, particularly the monetiazation policy of the federal government from which the minister was not exempt.
Among the plans, he said he will be in court next Tuesday to force the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to prosecute the Minister. In addition, a coalition of anti-corruption activists will picket the Aviation Ministry next week in an effort to force President Jonathan to remove her from office.
With reference to the cost of the vehicles, Mr. Melaye described them as “unconscionable,” recalling that the Speaker of the House of Representatives also purchased two Armored Mercedes Benz S-600 B7 grade armored cars a year ago for less than $800, 000.
He also disclosed that he had requested for quotations from Germany that show that the vehicles actually cost less than $200,000 each. Even then, he stressed, the Minister has no right to purchase the vehicles for her personal use.
He reminded President Jonathan that former President Olusegun Obasanjo or his immediate boss, late Umaru Yar'adua would have fired Mrs. Oduah since the scandal broke.
Meanwhile, aviation officials have disputed the version of Mrs. Oduah story that she was using the vehicle to protect herself against powerful enemies opposed to her in the ministry. A source told SaharaReporters that Mrs. Oduah has not used the vehicles for official purposes since they were taken to her home in Victoria Garden City (VGC) in Lagos. The source stated that there are several exotic cars purchased for the Minister in VGC if the EFCC or the police care to raid the place. The source also claimed that Mr. Oduah is building a hotel in VGC worth N3.5 billion from proceeds of kickbacks received from the airport remodeling projects scattered across the country.
The source further stated that Mr. Cosmas Maduka of Coscharis Group Limited, the supplier of the used 2008 model armored cars, might have given the minister and Mr. J. D. Nkemakolam, the former acting Director-General of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) who carried out the purchase up to $700,00 as kickback from the car purchase.
Mrs. Oduah is the former co-chair of Mr. Jonathan’s main presidential campaign outfit, Neighbor-2-Neighbor. She is not expected to face any retribution from the president who has recently declared corruption in his government to be “exaggerated.”
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 342
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Firstly as in all Politics - knowledge about the job is actually a hindrance rather than a help, so no prizes there.
Secondly - I was surprised to see that the NCAA purchased the cars until I read that this was done by the former acting DG. The current DG is a man of high integrity and I feel privileged to say I knew him well before he was appointed DG. When I heard the news of his appointment I was somewhat taken aback, as were many others in aviation there, as he had no political connections and essentially is a technocrat, being a retired Airline Captain and former Aircraft Maintenance Engineer. I hope he is allowed to do his job without political interference as he could make a real difference to Aviation regulation in Nigeria.
Secondly - I was surprised to see that the NCAA purchased the cars until I read that this was done by the former acting DG. The current DG is a man of high integrity and I feel privileged to say I knew him well before he was appointed DG. When I heard the news of his appointment I was somewhat taken aback, as were many others in aviation there, as he had no political connections and essentially is a technocrat, being a retired Airline Captain and former Aircraft Maintenance Engineer. I hope he is allowed to do his job without political interference as he could make a real difference to Aviation regulation in Nigeria.
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Mars
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Let's put this in context . . .
Nigerian cabinet and parliamentarians are among the highest compensated government officials in the world. Although these vehicles are a bit of an excess I, for one, am willing to forgive her transgression. Why?: She's a very good minister - she's been able to get projects accomplished successfully while her predecessors were somehow paralyzed. We all know what MMIA airport was like in the past (i.e., pirate haven, both airside and landside ).
Last edited by Zebiak; 19th Oct 2013 at 08:52.
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Ogba
Age: 53
Posts: 137
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Zebiak,
You wish to put what in context. Successful completion of projects like airport remodelling?
You wish to put what in context. Successful completion of projects like airport remodelling?
Meanwhile, aviation officials have disputed the version of Mrs. Oduah story that she was using the vehicle to protect herself against powerful enemies opposed to her in the ministry. A source told SaharaReporters that Mrs. Oduah has not used the vehicles for official purposes since they were taken to her home in Victoria Garden City (VGC) in Lagos. The source stated that there are several exotic cars purchased for the Minister in VGC if the EFCC or the police care to raid the place. The source also claimed that Mr. Oduah is building a hotel in VGC worth N3.5 billion from proceeds of kickbacks received from the airport remodeling projects scattered across the country.
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Mars
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes, Nigeria is a cesspool of corruption
My point was actually pretty simple. She has taken much from the coffers of government. That isn't news, they all do it. However, she has done some good which is not very common in that country. If I were a Nigerian, I would feel the deepest sadness about the hopelessness of government. But I would also want to give thanks when good things (rare though they are) get done.
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Been around the block
Posts: 629
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Someone is defending this lady? Has anyone been to Nigeria lately??? $800,000 for a car? How about new radios and different sectors for Lagos control. Maybe reliable radar too? I know for a fact that a certain East Afrikan flag carrier held talks directly with a certain high level Nigerian to request 5th freedom in an under serviced market on an international flight from Lagos and were flatly rejected as not enough "compensation" was available.
