Aviation officials claim N255 million ministerial car scandal is “all rumours”


Aviation authorities say Minister Stella Oduah is too rich to compel an agency under her to buy her cars.

Aviation authorities in Lagos attempted a vigorous push back on Tuesday report that the nation’s aviation minister, Stella Oduah, abused her office by compelling the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, to purchase two armoured BMW cars for her worth N255 million.

The New York based online newspaper, Sahara Reporters, claimed in an investigation report that Mrs. Oduah compelled the NCAA, an agency under her supervision, in a presumed case of corruption, conflict of interest, and abuse her office to procure the cars for her with public funds.

Aviation spokesman, Yakubu Datti, dismissed the newspaper report as “rumours” suggesting that it was politically motivated.

“I don’t respond to rumours…[and] as we approach 2015, people are bound to make up all sorts of stories,” Mr. Datti told PREMIUM TIMES in an interview, arguing, “This is a woman (Mrs. Oduah) who is successful and established. A woman that made her mark in oil and gas, who owned trucks, barges, and so on. What is two cars?”

The newspaper, which supported its report with documents of the procurement, said it discovered that Mrs. Oduah, a close associate of President Goodluck Jonathan, is enmeshed in a pattern of questionable expenditures in the aviation ministry.

Sources at the agency also said, according to the paper, that the NCAA embarked on such a jamboree despite its “financial challenges.”

“The NCAA does not have enough funds to upgrade equipment, send staff for critical training, and hire enough qualified staff. Yet, all the minister is concerned about is to have two exotic BMW cars from the little money we have for operations,” SaharaReporters quoted a source as saying.

The aviation ministry however declaimed such suggestion, describing it as “ridiculous.”

Documents obtained by SaharaReporters showed that the transaction for the purchase of the two BMW vehicles began last June.
The request for delivery of and payment for the two vehicles was, however, fast-tracked between August 13 and 15. The transaction involved the NCAA, First Bank of Nigeria, and Coscharis Motors Limited.

In a letter dated 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 armoured 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 WBAHP41050DW68032 and WBAHP41010DW68044 respectively, was N255,150,000, or $1,593,687.31.

The NCAA’s letter further directed Coscharis Motors to deliver the vehicles with sales invoices, delivery notes, and attestation documents.
SaharaReporters stated that the payment for the vehicles was made into a First Bank of Nigeria account (number 2018912995 with sort code: 0111152303), according to a letter signed by Godwin Umeaka, Coscharis’ group financial controller.

The two cars were delivered to the NCAA on August 13, 2013, where it was received by two store managers, F. Onoabhagbe and Y.A. Amzat (who is also the agency’s head of transport). On August 15, 2013, Sola Ogunsakin of the NCAA signed off to certify completion of the transaction.

While the aviation ministry under Mrs. Oduah embarked on a massive face-lift of airports across the country; the Nigerian airspace also witnessed several air mishaps that led to the loss of over 150 lives.

“Under Mrs. Oduah, the ministry has carried out many big capital development projects. But what outsiders don’t know is that these projects are being used to divert big amounts into private pockets,” SaharaReporters quoted an aviation source as saying.

The newspaper, however, said that its sources stated that they were not aware of the whereabouts of the new cars, with some claiming that the minister had converted them to private use.

But Mr. Datti dismissed such claims, adding that Mrs. Oduah lived a life of comfort graced by generosity in which she “buys cars and dashes to people” long before she became a minister.

Also, when contacted, Joe Obi, the minister’s spokesperson, promised to get back to PREMIUM TIMES after “verifying the story and the document” published alongside the article.

“At the moment, I can’t give you any response because I need to authenticate the documents published on the website,” Mr. Obi said.
“We would do that shortly,” he added.

Sincere 9gerian: This is journalism. Contact all the parties involved and report their side of the story. Contacting the parties involved does not in anyway stop you from publishing your investigative findings. It only makes the report look professional and complete. Only bitter, old and hateful fools take one-sided investigative report seriously. I hope SR is learning from Premium Times. Anyway, I am not surprised because SR is always in a hurry to 'nail' the president.

Sincere 9gerian: This is journalism. Contact all the parties involved and report their side of the story. Contacting the parties involved does not in anyway stop you from publishing your investigative findings. It only makes the report look professional and complete. Only bitter, old and hateful fools take one-sided investigative report seriously. I hope SR is learning from Premium Times. Anyway, I am not surprised because SR is always in a hurry to 'nail' the president.

Aviation authorities say Minister
Stella Oduah is too rich to
compel an agency under her to
buy her cars.

But Mr. Datti dismissed such claims, adding that Mrs. Oduah lived a life of comfort graced by generosity in which she “buys cars and dashes to people” long before she became a minister.

Sincere 9gerian: This is journalism. Contact all the parties involved and report their side of the story. Contacting the parties involved does not in anyway stop you from publishing your investigative findings. It only makes the report look professional and complete. Only bitter, old and hateful fools take one-sided investigative report seriously. I hope SR is learning from Premium Times. Anyway, I am not surprised because SR is always in a hurry to 'nail' the president.

take dat: Hypocritical 9gerian, Blame SR for exposing the wrath in our system. What new thing has the aviation spokesman said, 'that Stella is a rich and successful business woman who has made her mark in the oil and gas industry so what is two cars to her'? Isn't this a disgraceful response from a public official? In the face of damning evidence published by SR to expose such profligacy under the supervising eyes of the minister, all the spokesman could muster was that it is a rumor and politically motivated. One would have expected sensible comments such as, 'the minister is going to look into it' or 'the minister has ordered for a probe into the accounts of NCAA'. But no, he isn't concerned about the wasteful act rather he prefers to protect the personality of the minister. Orji Kalu, Atiku and several other politicians were successful and well established before venturing into politics, only for them to spend tax payers fund on frivolous things they could easily afford on their own. Every politician, rich or poor sees the public treasury as his or her private purse.

Sincere 9gerian:
If we insist the politicians must do the RIGHT thing, we must also insist that others (citizens, journalists,etc) must also do the RIGHT thing. Doing the RIGHT thing should not be limited to only those in govt.

The RIGHT thing in investigative journalism is that you must give all the parties concerned an opportunity to say their SIDE of the story. It becomes a hatchet job when one rushes to publish ONE-SIDED story.

In the case in question, Premium Times has done the RIGHT thing. The aviation spokesperson tried to dismiss the report but I think that was wrong. He should provide more credible response that addresses the substance in the allegations. But the spokesperson for the minister has promised to get back to the Premium Times and hopeful he'll provide a response that deals with the substance in the allegation.

I cannot participate in the condemnation or crucifixion of any human being based on one-sided story. I dont know about you.

Dis Guy: lol @ politically motivated


If it's not true they should tell nigerians what the car is for or perhaps disclose the annual report for NCAA etc

that picture : horrid!!!

awodman:
Exactly..Premium Times is more professional than SR..check out their expose on Sanusi..they made effort to contact all parties involved

Sincere 9gerian: This is journalism. Contact all the parties involved and report their side of the story. Contacting the parties involved does not in anyway stop you from publishing your investigative findings. It only makes the report look professional and complete. Only bitter, old and hateful fools take one-sided investigative report seriously. I hope SR is learning from Premium Times. Anyway, I am not surprised because SR is always in a hurry to 'nail' the president.

theoctopus:

There is nothing to tell Nigerians. The government should focus on their jobs and ignore distractions from paid journalists. The paid journalists do not serve the interest of the public. They serve the interests of criminals like Tinubu, so nothing spoil!