The Ministry of Aviation has confirmed that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority bought two bulletproof vehicles worth $1.6m (N255m) for the Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah.

An online news medium, SaharaReporters, had reported on Tuesday that the armoured vehicles were delivered to the minister in August.

The medium reported that documents in its possession showed that the transaction for the purchase of the two BMW cars started in June, but the request for the delivery of and payment for them was fast-tracked between August 13 and 15, 2013.

The transaction involved the NCAA, First Bank of Nigeria, and Coscharis Motors Limited, according to the report.

The two black BMW 760 Li HSS vehicles had chasis numbers WBAHP41050DW68032 and WBAHP41010DW68044, and were reportedly delivered to the NCAA on August 13, 2013. They were received by two store managers, F. Onoabhagbe and Y. A. Amzat, who is also the agency’s head of transport.

[b]However, the Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Aviation, Mr. Joe Obi, who confirmed the development on Wednesday, said the vehicles were purchased to protect the minister from some external threats.

He said in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, “Yes, it is true that some security vehicles were procured for the use of the office of the honourable minister in response to the clear and imminent threat to her personal security and life following the bold steps she took to reposition 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.

“It should be noted that these vehicles are not personal vehicles and were not procured in the name of the honourable minister; they are utility vehicles and are for the office of the minister, and if she leaves the office, she will not be taking the vehicles along with her.”[/b]

On his part, the spokesperson for the NCAA, Mr. Fan Ndubuike, feigned ignorance of the development.

“I am not aware of anything like that,” he told our correspondent at 8.05pm on Wednesday.

The NCAA is the agency charged with ensuring the airworthiness of commercial planes flying within the country’s airspace.

The agency has been under fire lately over a series of mishaps and near crashes involving planes being operated by domestic airlines that were certified fit for flight operations by the NCAA.

There have also been rumours that the NCAA does not have enough funds to upgrade its equipment, send its employees for critical training and hire enough qualified hands, while questions are also being raised by industry watchers on the ability of the cash-strapped agency to procure such expensive vehicles.

However, the Director-General, NCAA, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, had on Monday denied the claims of being cash-strapped, saying that the agency was buoyant.

He said, “We are not broke, we have been carrying out all our responsibilities and have been undertaking the training of our staff as and when due.

“I can tell you that right now, some of our staff members are undergoing training abroad and we still have others that are waiting for approval; we do not joke with training here and I challenge anyone to come up with anything otherwise to that effect.”

Meanwhile, two major air crashes have occurred under Oduah’s watch

http://www.punchng.com/news/ministry-confirms-purchase-of-n255m-vehicles-for-oduah/

Kudos to Sahara Reporters for their investigative journalism!
Why is the minister afraid of threats to her life? I thought she so much believes in the 'ACT OF GOD'. She should have left her protection in the hands of 'her' God. With a multicoloured face like hers, why does she need a 'bullet-proof' vehicle? PUBLIC OFFICE HOLDERS AND WASTEFUL SPENDING! And where are those gullible people defending her that 'she's our sister'? Buying bullet-proof vehicles for N255m at the expense of Air safety, which is her primary responsibility. A woman who couldn't even prevent over 200 deaths because of her gross act of personal aggrandisement, unprofessional conduct, sheer incompetence and bureaucratic stupidity. Madam, those departed innocent souls will continue to haunt, disturb, frighten and torment you.
GEJ, OVER TO U!
Click 'LIKE' if you think this woman is a BIGGER CRIMINAL!

Buying her bullet-proof vehicles at that outrageous amount? So they're more concerned about the security of their Boss than their primary responsibility- Air Safety that is. Hmm afterall the report is not false.

The same way a final year student buys bag of rice with vegetable oil for his project supervisor as Salah gift ( if he underperforms his project supervisor would cover for him, so long the rice still remains in the store).

When the Subject pays the Piper to ease his boss stress, who dictates the tune?

We all know what it means in naija when your subordinates "buy" you gift. In most cases you would end up not having a strict control over them, thereby making you not as active as you should be and this in turn gives room for irregularities.

That's just a simple way of greasing her palm. Whether she ordered it or not, that's inconsequential for now. She is the minister, she oversees the whole aviation sector, their revenue, account , transactions not excluded. Such amount is way too much for vehicles considering the fact that this is one of the particular sectors in the country that needs a vigorous restructuring.





#Hmmmm---------------- clears throat and grab the mic while wielding sword#
Where are all those Bigots Chanting "its a pull down syndrome" also accusing Sahara reporter of lack of transparency even in the face of glaring evidence. You should all come out and defend your god now.

OVER TO YOU

Was it not this same joel Obi that said stella oduah was rich before she came into office, hence, she could afford whatever luxury car she wants...
.

No be rumor all of a sudden after concrete documents surface... lmao.


Sadly, NCAA can not perform it's statutory obligations to make sure our planes are safe and airworthy, but they are indeed capable of splurging tax payers money on frivolous luxury vehicle purchase for a common civil servant that couldn't even prevent well over 200 deaths because of her gross acts of incompetent and bureaucratic stupidity.

Imagine excuse. Her life was in danger my foot.

Please my question is : how many of these armored vehicles were bought for Prof. Dora Akinyuli during her tenure as NAFDAC BOSS when she was almost assassinated and had several threats on her life? Whose job is more challenging and life-threatening among the two of them?

I guess the threat on Oduah's life was "class A" threat , hence the need for what has now become world's most expensive armored vehicle (hopefully it can shield all those catapult remotely sent from our villages too).

“It should be noted that these vehicles are not personal vehicles and were not procured in the name of the honourable minister; they are utility vehicles and are for the office of the minister

Now, let's take another look at the Foley and absurdity behind this dumb excuse.

If this car is her official car, is she on duty 24/7 and if not, what about her private car? Is it a BMW bullet proof car or some other kind of bullet proof car to protect her when she's not in her official BMW bullet proof car? Or the so called potential enemies trying to kill her targets only official cars and not private cars?

These incompetent comedians are public officials for real? And we wonder why the aviation industry in Nigeria sucks and remains deadly for Nigerians.

SMH!

I am so pissed off right now, why did she have to implicate herself like this? It's not up to 24hrs prior that her Media Assistant claimed that the parties involved were not aware of this, and now this? Na wa o... Mrs Oduah, you really messed up on this one.

With a face like hers, why does she need a 'bullet-proof' vehicle?
What a waste of money!

Kudos to SR!!!

Now all those who have been defending her because she's "our sister" can now shove their heads into a pit latrine...

I hope she acquires a "crash proof" plane too because the innocent souls that died in her care are crying for justice. You can fool men, u can't fool God. Oloshi oloriburuku Ashawo oshi.

Where are the shameless hypocrites, tribalists and closeted sympathizers of corruption who bear placards and masquerade themselves as very sincere Nigerians? The likes of those who despise SR for exposing the wrath.

The ministry had the audacious effrontery to tell Nigerians that she needed 2 bullet proof cars to protect her from external threat. How has she been kept safe, what vehicle has she been using since she was made a minister more than 2 years ago(she became a minister in 2011 and those vehicles were purchased 2 months ago)? This is an after thought and a very ridiculous response. The minister/ministry spokes man did not bother to react to the over inflated cost of those vehicles. She bought one for personal use and the other for back up at over-bloated market prices. Such disdain for public funds.

If it wasn't an orchestrated attempt to cover up her tracks of questionable and inflated expenditures, why didn't she make the purchases from the ministry's allocation/account? Why strangulate an agency which has financial challenges to purchase bullet proof cars? Isn't NCAA just a regulator? how autonomous is the agency then?

Unfortunately, we bemoan our predicament, with numb resignation we watch our society like a battered ship sink slowly into the abyss of corruption because those at the top do not give a damn!

Knowing what we now know, there are plenty of reasons to believe that this terse admission is only a tip of the iceberg.

Nigeria's Minister of Aviation Armored BMW Car Scandal: Car Sells For Only $170K In Europe And America



Following yesterday’s revelation by SaharaReporters that a cash-strapped agency of the Ministry of Aviation purchased two armored BMW 760 Li cars for the private use of Aviation Minister Stella Oduah, several automobile sales companies have indicated that the cars were massively overpriced.

Our report yesterday disclosed that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) paid approximately $1.6 million to buy the two cars from Coscharis Motors Limited in Lagos, meaning that each car cost close to $800,000. But our investigations with car sale companies revealed that the NCAA could have got eight, not two, BMW armored cars for their money.

According to Vista BMW in Coconut Creek in Florida, a fully armored BMW 760 Li car built to withstand AK 47-7.62x39 ammo and lower caliber weapons costs only $162, 195. Also, a quote provided by the armored car ballistic division of the International Armoring Corporation in Centerville, Utah revealed that each of the BMW cars could have been provided to the NCAA for $200,000 plus the cost of shipping to Nigeria.

SaharaReporters contacted other automobile sales companies in Europe who quoted even slightly lower prices for the model of the armored car purchased by the NCAA for Ms. Oduah’s personal use.

The two black BMW Li HSS vehicles had chases numbers WBAHP41050DW68032 and WBAHP41010DW68044 respectively were manufactured in Germany in 2008 according to investigations carried out about the models of the two cars by SaharaReporters.

Several officials of the Nigerian aviation authority told SaharaReporters that they were dismayed that the minister demanded that two expensive armored cars be purchased for her from the small and inadequate operating budget of the NCAA. As one of the officials stated, “We cannot even send our staff to critical training sessions, we cannot afford to update our equipment, and we need to employ more staff to ensure that every plane flying in Nigeria’s airspace is airworthy.”

Nigeria has been dogged by air crashes in the last few years, with more than 140 lives lost.

“If you consider all the priorities we have, but we don’t have the funds to meet, it is unfair that the Honorable Minister for Aviation, Mrs. Oduah, approved for us [the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority] to purchase two BMW armored cars through Coscharis Motors Limited for almost $800,000 each,” said a senior officer at the agency.

Meanwhile, since our report came out yesterday, some officials in other agencies under the Ministry of Aviation have revealed to SaharaReporters that the minister is pressuring them to make available the N150 million each to “settle” lawmakers at the National Assembly who are have scheduled a probe of the ministry on their return from the Sallah break.

One of the sources told our correspondent that Ms. Oduah had already received N300 million from two of the agencies and may have funneled the bribe funds to lawmakers who have summoned her to appear before them following the recent crash of an Associated Airline flight. The flight, which was conveying the remains of former Governor Olusegun Agagu of Ondo State, crashed on October 3, 2013 near the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. Fifteen people died in the crash, with several, including Mr. Agagu’s son, wounded.

The minister of aviation oversees 6 agencies in charge of aviation matters in Nigeria, namely: Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) , Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and Nigerian College Of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in Zaria. Of the six agencies, FAAN and NCAA remains most notorious for corruption and has served as the minister's cash cow.

Source

Watch out everyone, that trolling urchin who eats crumbs that fall off the table of mr president would avoid this thread till it grows cold!!!

Imagine a sector as critical as the aviation sector being left in the hands of an accountant with no flipping idea whatsoever about the mechanism of a plane's liftoff!!! Little wonder we are witnessing what we are in that sector today.

Underestimate saharareporters at your own peril.

omenka: Watch out everyone, that trolling urchin who eats crumbs that fall off the table of mr president would avoid this thread till it grows cold!!!

Underestimate saharareporters at your own peril.

LOL!

I for one is not expecting her to act contrary to her employer's deceit on things and wasteful way of life. Alas! The Nigeria's government is now of officials and not of the people. FRESH AIR TILL...

What is this HIPPO look that is reigning with NIGERIAN WOMEN THESE DAYS?

Chai!!! See TRIPLE-WIDE-LOAD-IGBO nose?

See GORILLA EYEBROW? If her 'UPPER IWEKA ROAD' bussssssssshy like dis. . . no telling how her 'LOWER IWEKA ROAD' aka 'MAIN MARKET' down below go be! ONLY KING-KONG can fit to h-enter dia AND COME OUT ALIVE WITH MAJOR SCRATCHES OOOOOoooooooo!!! Hmmmmmm!!!! She dey forbid 'razor' or 'wax-job' for her village? Kei!!!!

Dis woman LOCAL DIE!!!REAAAAAAAAAAL MGBEKE F'O'RST-CLASS LIKE DAME PATIENCE!!!

All these retired pure-water sellers/HAVARD-sponsored granduANTS/MINISTERS don taya me o!

Is this a corpse lying-in-state or a live creature? NA WETIN SHE RUB FOR FACE? Even MAC powder dey tia race from her face!

What a sight!

Na her face dem take do JABBA THE HUT for 'THE RETURN OF THE JEDI'?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SasOZMFW8YA

However, the Special
Assistant (Media) to the
Minister of Aviation, Mr. Joe
Obi, who confirmed the
development on
Wednesday, said the
vehicles were purchased to
protect the minister from
some external threats.
He said in a telephone
conversation with our
correspondent, “Yes, it is
true that some security
vehicles were procured for
the use of the office of the
honourable minister in
response to the clear and
imminent threat to her
personal security and life
following the bold steps she
took to reposition the sector.

when she was used as a tool to 'NAMA' all the political enemies of the president, why won't she be threatened?

If she is not fired and handed over to EFCC, then GEJ should not bother to talk about corruption.
We are watching and waiting.

Desperate times call for desperate lies.

Madam minister needed two official bulletproof cars
The people before her did not need same
Madam could not go for a cheaper armoured camry

Let us see what the drunkard in chief will do. This is enough to send the make up woman packing.

Desperate times call for desperate lies.

Madam minister needed two official bulletproof cars
The people before her did not need same
Madam could not go for a cheaper armoured camry

800,000 for a 5 year old car? One that must have been gathering dust in a warehouse as excess inventory?



Let us see what the drunkard in chief will do. This is enough to send the make up woman packing.

Nigerian FEMALE POLITICIANS can NEVER get away with half of what their male counterparts can!
Welcome to NIGERIAN PHOCK AND DUMP politics for NIGERIAN FEMALES WITHOUT HUSBANDS!!!

Mu che che che che che che che

Assssshawo go soon retire for 'SPAIN'!

When the news broke out, one ibo mo'R'on on the other thread said it was the handwork of the yorubas in the aviation sector whose names appeared on the receipts that wanted to bring down the minister simply because she renovated an airport for them in iboland, however, it has been confirmed that the same woman they are defending actually forced the aviation agency to buy her the 2 cars.

God has finally delivered those yorubas from the propaganda of the biafrans. Just imagin the kind of corruption that will be invented if the ibos finally get to rule this country. Bunch of criminals !

chukwudi44: All evidence so far points to the NCAA and its director Fola Akin.Nothing to link the minister with it.SMH for desperation of some folks!! Oduah is going to nowhere!! She will stay till she uprades the owerri airport also to international status and the Enugu airport one of the best in the world.Haters can go to hell

See one of the comment from the ibo urchins. Always blaming the yorubas for their misfortunes even the one they brought on themselves.

Those embittered folks who are out to extract their pound of flesh have succeeded after all. The minister is the architecture of her misfortune all because of greed. No amount of ethnic orchestrated detergent of image laundry will wash off this atrocious crime off our faces. Even if GEJ in his usual cavalier manner of 'hear no evil-see no evil' to all the allegations of cascading graft within his ranks does not do anything out it, she has already been sentenced in the court of public opinion.

FFK is always RIGHT

SMH!

Stupid country. Maybe they should also buy her bullet proof cloths, wrappers, eye glasses and bullet proof head gears.
Oh I forgot; she already have dem in numbers.
Mtchewww........
And I'm sure this too will b swept under d rug in no time.
Rubbish.

Alxmyr: If she is not fired and handed over to EFCC, then GEJ should not bother to talk about corruption.
We are watching and waiting.

You'll wait for a long time, who told you that GEJ is sincere and ready to fight corruption? Can you give what you don't have?

Its Like Everyone Has Been Expecting This News. See Bashing Here And There. Too Bad I Don't Have A Prepared Speech.

Beht Oloriburuku Ni Awon People Yi Sha

First she denies then accepts , my questions are:

Since her life was at threat why didn't the FEC approve the purchase of such special vehicles for their national treasure of a Minister, why was the bill passed to the tiny NCAA and not the Ministry of aviation?

Is it part of the Statutory functions of the NCAA to provide security for the Minister of Aviation?

Why was a 170k USD Car bought at the outrageaous sum of 800k USD when even the Beast used by the President of the US cost 300k USD?

It is on record that she already uses an armoured Toyota Landcruiser vehicle as minister and possess an Armoured Cadilac Escalade in private capacity even before she became Minister , so why the need for this High Security Beamer?

Stella Oduah I love U but I am deeply disappointed ooo.