The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and
the Public and Private Development
Centre (PPDC) have accused the
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
(NCAA) of refusing to release the
procurement records for the bullet-
proof cars purchased for the minister
of aviation, in contravention of the
Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
In a statement made available to
LEADERSHIP yesterday, signed by
MRA Programme Manager, Ayodele
Longe, the organisations had asked
for copies of the procurement and
contract records, evidence of
budgetary allocation for the
procurement, evidence of
advertisements inviting prospective
bidders to submit bids for the
procurement and a list of all bids
tendered for the procurement among
other documents.
The statement alleged that in
response, “NCAA said it cannot
release the procurement records for
the purchase of the two controversial
bullet-proof cars to two non-
governmental organisations seeking
access to them, because releasing
them would undermine ongoing
administrative and criminal
investigations into the matter”.
It said the NCAA also argued that its
budget was already published as part
of the 2013 budget of the Federal
Government and as such, the FOI Act
does not apply to it.
The statement revealed that in a four-
page reply dated November 11, 2013
and signed on behalf of the Director-
General by NCAA’s Legal Adviser, Mr.
E.D. Chukwuma, the Authority said it
was withholding the information the
associations requested for on the
grounds that the exemptions in
Sections 12 and 26 of the FOI Act are
applicable to the request.
It said the NCAA argued that “there
was, as at the date of your request, an
ongoing, various legislative and
administrative enforcement
proceedings and criminal
investigations into the same matter
of purchase of BMW 760 LiHSS
vehicles by the Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority (NCAA) being conducted by
the Aviation Committee of the House
of Representatives of the National
Assembly, the Committee of the
Whole House of the Senate of the
National Assembly, the Presidential
Panel to Examine Alleged Purchase of
Two (2) BMW Armoured Vehicles for
the Use of the Honourable Minister of
Aviation as well as the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
.”
It also claimed that “Not only have
the information you seek been
handed over to these various bodies
for the conduct of the legislative and
administrative enforcement
proceedings and criminal
investigation referred to above, but
giving same to you may compromise
and/or obstruct the proceedings and
investigation.”
It would be recalled that the NCAA
has been in the public eye, since the
purchase of several high tech vehicles
including two BMW armoured
vehicles for the use of the Aviation
Minister, Princess Stella Oduah.
http://leadership.ng/news/291113/foi-ncaa-refuses-disclose-procurement-records-bullet-proof-cars

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Nigeria leaders have bet our lifes and future in the game of poker and they are already losing. What happen to the billion of dollars that accrues from crude oil exploration in Nigeria? What happen to the internally generated revenue, with all these our leaders have failed in discharging their prime duty, they have failed in managing our resources for the development and betterment of our lifes and generation unborn. Nigerians are languishing in poverty yet we are smiling and embracing poverty when are leaders are smiling to the bank. Have asked myself for the umpteenth time that, is it not that our leaders are there to cater for our wellbeing, is'nt their prime objective. What have we done, where have we gotten it wrong that we are being robbed in the clear and open air and we feign ignorance to this. This is democracy we are running here. The people decide what is best for them but is our leaders that are dictating our destiny out of their own sheer greed and callousness.The best solution to end this once and for all and safeguard our future and the generation unborn is to round up and execute all these insatiable greedy obsolete leaders that have lost sympathy for the poor Nigerians and are preoccupied with siphoning our resources to enrich themselves and their children. Enough is enough is high time we started dictating our destiny ourselves and rescue ourselves from all these romanticize vampires. The bottom line is that they have no good intentions for Nigerians. We can'nt be getting poorer and hopeless by the day and our leaders are getting richer is a ridiculous paradox, and you start blaming God or your step mother for your conditions, nay God has been so merciful and benevolent to us we've been blessed with enormous resources that can catapult us to be the largest economy in the world, with all the resources abound Nigeria shore. All this old men and women" co- mistress" can'nt lead us anywhere but to doom. Sooner or later revolution is what is going to put an end to this. The gap between the rich and the poor is enormous that one day it will get to a point that the poor we have nothing left but to be devouring the rich. This is a wake up call for the aggrieved and downtrodden let's atleast rescue the generation of our children, let's be their hero before they milk us dry.

Those NGO should use the court if not satisfied.

The Judiciary should be forced to contribute to our beleaguered democracy.