Stella Oduah as Jonathan Example

by Erasmus Ikhide

THOSE who expect President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to buckle and flush Princess Stella Oduah, the Minister of Aviation down the toilet under the torrential brewing scandal called “$1.6 million BMW Cars Scam” are as naive as the President himself. He needs Ms Stella Oduah in that morally bankrupt industry to criminally rates in unearned billions of Naira for his 2015 presidential election the way she did in 2011.

Long before Dr Jonathan openly canonised corruption at the ‘Presidential Media Chat’ as part of his itineraries to mark the nation’s 53rd Independence Anniversary a few weeks ago, Nigerians are fully aware that the president has been wedded to graft interminably, and that only death will do them part.


In that Presidential Media Chat, Dr Jonathan vaguely opined - because he talks before he reasons - that Nigeria problem is not corruption. May be it is premeditated. Presidential minders told me that the president merely wanted to take the shine out of his main political challenger, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, whose historical anti-corruption credential as Military Head of State is beyond reproach. Perhaps, admitting that corruption is the major setback for Nigeria as a nation would have meant that one; the President has ceded a great deal of the battle ground to the opposition against the backdrop of 2015 presidential election. Second, it would have meant an admittance to being corruption, a virus to which he has been tenaciously entangled since he took office.


President Jonathan took the nation’s anti-corruption war a century backward when he decline to declare his assets publicly on assumption of office, even after his government signed a pact to that effect. He said at the time that it is not compulsory for him to declare his assets openly since no law made it expressly mandatory for him to do so. All entreaties to Dr Jonathan to follow the foot steps of his predecessor, the late President Umar Yar’Adua was never heeded.


The Nigeria-US Binational commission on transparency signed a communique in Washington DC on June 4 and 5, 2012 by the then US Deputy Secretary of State, Bill Burns and Nigeria was represented by Foreign Affairs Minister, Olugbenga Ashiru and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Martin I. Uhomoibhi. The fourth paragraph of the communique signed by both countries at the meeting read thus: “both countries recognized and reaffirmed commitments to transparency and accountability from local to national levels that include strong community efforts. To support those commitments, Nigeria intends to widen its budgetary transparency efforts to include public asset declarations by parliamentarians and other senior public officials.”


The President, in his ungainly and boyish style said a few weeks that, “The issue of asset declaration is a matter of principle. I don’t give a damn about it, if you want to criticize me from heaven. The issue of public declaration I think is playing to the gallery. You don’t need to publicly declare any assets. If I am somebody who wants to hide it is what I tell you that you will even believe.” One would have thought that the rancorous crises that attended his own presidential ascendancy would have buoyed President Jonathan to declare his asset without being prodded to do so, couple with the fact that his predecessor did the same. He defied the pressure pilled on him to lead by example if he hopes to win the war against official graft.


Since then, Nigeria has refused to join the Open Government Partnership, OGP, a forum of about 55 countries determined to promote open governance and a culture of accountability around the world. To join the forum however, Nigeria would need to ensure that assets declaration by senior public officials and elected officials is in place. The OGP is an international initiative aimed at securing concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, increase civic participation, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to make government more open, effective, and accountable. This is exactly what Dr Jonathan detests and would continue to object to, so long it opens the floodgate to siphon hundreds of billion of Naira to prosecute his undeserving continuation in power beyond 2015.


How then do we expect the ministers selected by a larcenous president under the cover of a compromised legal system whose financial records of how wealthy or poor is copiously wrapped in veiled pretence of a less charitable anti-corruption code? The Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC had a case against President Jonathan as the Governor of Bayelsa State. He was among the 19 former Governors who had a case with the EFCC at the time. The case was discontinued the moment he was selected as the Vice-President to the late President Yar’Adua. His wife, Patience Jonathan was also on the EFCC’s list among those to face prosecution for money laundry. That too has also been discontinued!


The repulsive rot in the Aviation industry merely mirrors the larger picture of the graft induced Administration of Dr Jonathan where Presidential Air Fleet is lager than three national airlines with 10 aircrafts in its fold. According to findings, the PAF include two Falcon 7X jets, two Falcon 900 jets, a Gulfstream 550, one Boeing 737 BBJ (Nigerian Air Force 001 or Eagle One), and a Gulfstream IVSP. Others are one Gulfstream V, Cessna Citation 2 aircraft and Hawker Siddley 125-800 jet.


Each of the Falcon 7X jets was purchased in 2010 at a cost of $51.1m, while the Gulfstream 550 costs $53.3m. However, the actual price on the average of the Falcon 900 is put at $35m; Gulfstream IVSP, $40m; Gulfstream V, $45m; Boeing 737 BBJ, $58m; Cessna Citation, $7m; and Hawker Siddley 125-800, $15m. This brings a combined estimated value of the PAF to $390.5m (N60.53bn).


Industry experts are wont to say that airlines spend between 15 and 20 per cent of the cost of an aircraft on its operation yearly. They opined that averagely, a little less than one-fifth of the cost of the plane is spent every year on insurance, flight and cabin crew, maintenance, fuelling, catering and training. The Nigerian Air Force’s website says the PAF’s current staff strength consists of 47 NAF officers, 173 airmen/airwomen and 96 technical and administrative civilians. Going by the fact that at least 15 per cent of this amount is spent annually on operating the PAF, it means about $58.57m (N9.08bn) is being spent annually on running the planes in the Nigerian PAF, making Nigeria one of the most expensive PAF in the world.


It will be out of place for Nigerians to wishfully anticipate, even to demand a beat transparency and accountability from a government that thrives essentially on the selection of certified crooks who see public office as mining ground of their own share of the national cake. It is the same Dr Jonathan’s poverty of ambition - Power without purpose and answering the name ‘President’ - regardless of his ineptitude and woeful failure that drives Ms Stella Oduah to the pure vanity and lost for obscene opulence.


Sadly, this Teflon travesty of womanhood has not brought in any fresh initiatives and has failed to react brilliantly to the problems militating against aviation industry since her appointment. It removes from her flowing elegance and beauty, the very innate majestic talents and highest aptitude require of princess that she claims. She is more concerned cruising in posh armoured cars in flashing jewels than the safety of air travellers.


Nigerians are used to Dr Jonathan’s numerous ego trip queries and commission of enquiries that produce White Papers for his White Paper Government, WPG. This one on “$1.6 million BWM Cars Scam” will not be difference. At a time planes are fallen off the nation’s airspace like the migrating stock encountering poisonous substance in the middle of the air; at a time the nation’s aviation industry is competing for the bottom of the ladder with war-tore country like Somalia as the poorest airport in African, at a time Foreign airlines coming to Nigeria rely on their in built Total Radar navigational equipment for air safety within the Nigeria airspace gives the barefaced looting an international embarrassment.


Nigerians have been badly led enough and it is my firmly held conception that we need to come emphatically clear on this and point out that Dr Jonathan neither can nor should be an obstacle to our unyielding commitment to put the nation on the part to greatness. Until Nigerians resolve and appreciate the potency of their electoral power to chase failed leaders like Dr Jonathan out of power with their votes, the present nightmare will be a child’s for the anarchy that is to come next time.


Erasmus Ikhide write from Lagos, Nigeria.

Weekend Observer

Erasmus Ikhide

Senior Special Assistant Media Affairs at Edo State Government
SA Media at Special Adviser (Media Affairs) to Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the State of Osun

Ovoko lapdogs, come and earn your salary here

atlwireles: Erasmus Ikhide

Senior Special Assistant Media Affairs at Edo State Government
SA Media at Special Adviser (Media Affairs) to Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the State of Osun

Lolz...see casting!!!

atlwireles: Erasmus Ikhide

Senior Special Assistant Media Affairs at Edo State Government
SA Media at Special Adviser (Media Affairs) to Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the State of Osun

How does that change the core of this piece.

This N4000 has reduced your IQ to near zero.

ballabriggs:

How does that change the core of this piece.

This N4000 has reduced your IQ to near zero.

It seems you are a Lone Ranger now. Stella case is closed get over it. That is how Nigerian scandals go Otedola and Farouk comes to mind.

Stop crying like a child deprived of his toy.

amarilo: It seems you are a Lone Ranger now. Stella case is closed get over it. That is how Nigerian scandals go Otedola and Farouk comes to mind.

Stop crying like a child deprived of his toy.

You wish it was closed to justify the N4000 you are being paid. Now crawl back to the dustbin where your likes belong.

ballabriggs:

You wish it was closed to justify the N4000 you are being paid. Now crawl back to the dustbin where your likes belong.

Hahahahaha u getting tired I guess, from 100 oduah post in a day to just one. Ink is running low and APC are not keeping to promise. Chartered Accountant in London. Hahahahaha Accounting don suffer.