Not ‘an act of God’
Posted by: Editorial in Editorial 14 hours ago

• Stella Oduah should be fired over purchase of bullet-proof vehicles for her security

Stella Oduah, Nigeria’s aviation minister, is in the news again, barely two weeks after her ministry was under severe criticism over the crash of Associated Airlines plane on October 3 in Lagos. An online news medium, SaharaReporters, had reported that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) bought two BMW bullet-proof cars worth $1.6m (N255m) for the minister. In spite of the fact that the medium gave what seemed vivid details of the transaction, including the bank involved, the motor firm that brought in the vehicles, their chassis numbers as well as the names of the NCAA officials who took delivery of them and even the date of delivery, many Nigerians had patiently waited for the NCAA or even the aviation ministry to debunk the report as a figment of the reporter’s imagination. The market value of each of the vehicles is N36m.

But lo and behold, rather than deny the story, the Ministry of Aviation confirmed that it was true and tried to justify the procurement of the vehicles. The special assistant (media) to the minister, Mr. Joe Obi who confirmed the story said the vehicles were purchased to protect the minister from some external threats that arose because of her activities that have destabilised some entrenched interests in the sector. “When she came on board as the minister, she inherited a lot of baggage in terms of the concession and lease agreements in the sector, which were clearly not in the interest of the government and people of Nigeria. And so, she took bold steps and some of these agreements were reviewed and some were terminated, and these moves disturbed some entrenched interests in the sector, and within this period, she began to receive some imminent threats to her life; therefore, the need for the vehicles,” he said.

Obi concluded that the vehicles were not personal property and would not be taken away by the minister after her tenure. He was however silent on the outrageous cost of the vehicles.

This is ludicrous. Public officials deserve to be protected, but this should not be at prohibitive cost to the taxpayer. Indeed, all Nigerians have security challenges and the best way is to tackle the challenges holistically rather than selectively as has been done in the Ms. Oduah instance. We know she is not alone in this; there are many other public officials who have done worst things with public funds under one pretext or the other. But this is one other expenditure by a public agency that calls to question the process under which items are bought by the agencies. But for the expose by SaharaReporters, Nigerians would not have known about the purchase of the vehicles more than two months after they were delivered.

More important is the fact that our aviation sector has remained troubled over the years. Under the minister’s watch alone, at least two major air crashes had occurred; one on June3, 2012 in Lagos involving Dana Air plane in which 163 people died; and the Associated Airlines crash of October 3, 2013, also in Lagos, which claimed 15 lives. At least, two other air mishaps were recorded this month alone.

It’s high time the aviation minister was removed to halt the worrisome trend in the aviation sector. The simple inference from the mishaps and near mishaps in this troubled sector is that we still have a lot to do to make our airspace safe; yet priorities are not right. Although NCAA’s Director-General, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, said the authority is not cash-strapped; a better way to demonstrate its buoyancy is by doing the needful to improve the facilities in our airports instead of splashing a whopping N255m on bullet-proof vehicles that should not cost more than N72m for a single individual.

Equally disturbing is Akinkuotu’s statement to the effect that he is more interested in how the transaction leaked. This, however, is inconsequential as far as we are concerned. We are more pertubed by the outrageous cost that he has tried unsuccessfully to justify. The transaction is of public interest and the authority ought to have made it public a long time ago.

Above all, no life is more precious than the other. If Ms Oduah sees accidents as” an act of God” as she claimed after the October 3 crash, why is she now bothered about her personal security? Is that too long for the hands of God to deliver?

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/act-god/

Let the north keep playing you like children.

Stella Oduah is human, public officer or not. If she feels threatened or recieves threats from anyone,she has every right to protect herself even if she will purchase a bullet proof house.
Those calling for her sack need to shut up or spill their main/hidden reason for the beef.

lertee: Stella Oduah is human, public officer or not. If she feels threatened or recieves threats from anyone,she has every right to protect herself even if she will purchase a bullet proof house.
Those calling for her sack need to shut up or spill their main/hidden reason for the beef.

r u a Nigerian? So sori 2 see such comment. Cant u see the price of d cars were bloated?

lertee: Stella Oduah is human, public officer or not. If she feels threatened or recieves threats from anyone,she has every right to protect herself even if she will purchase a bullet proof house.
Those calling for her sack need to shut up or spill their main/hidden reason for the beef.

Are you 4 real?
What are u sayin sef

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. . . . .Presiding Judge, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia adjourned the matter indefinitely after Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Festus Keyamo sought the transfer of the money laundering charges to another judge.

The EFCC has accused Mr Fani-Kayode of laundering about N230 million belonging to the Aviation ministry.. . . .

http://www.channelstv.com/home/2013/07/08/keyamo-wants-fani-kayodes-corruption-trial-transferred-to-another-judge/

lertee: Stella Oduah is human, public officer or not. If she feels threatened or recieves threats from anyone,she has every right to protect herself even if she will purchase a bullet proof house.
Those calling for her sack need to shut up or spill their main/hidden reason for the beef.

They are desperate people and looking Silly every day

Mtcheeeew. . . . . It's not even up to the money demanded by ASUU. . .