Armoured vehicles: Senate Reps order probe

THE Senate has said it was not foot-dragging on the scandal involving the Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah, over the purchase of two armoured BMW cars.
Rather, the upper legislative body said it would, first of all, check the available facts and figures before conducting investigation into the scandal, instead of relying on media reports.
This was just as the House of Representatives, on Tuesday, ordered its committee on aviation to probe the matter and report back within one week.
Chairman, Senate Commitee on Aviation, Senator Hope Uzodinma, made this known in Abuja, on Tuesday.
He also explained that the embattled minister and heads of agencies in the ministry did not appear before the Senate during its plenary session on Tuesday because his committee was yet to invite her.
The Senate had, two weeks ago, summoned the minister to explain the cause of the incessant air disasters in the aviation sector.
Justifying the position of his colleagues, who decided not to speak on the armoured vehicles scam, Uzodinma said “as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, I have read a lot on the alleged scandal in the media and I believe other members of the committee are also up to date on the raging issue.
“However, we cannot jump into the fray of the controversy like that on the strength of media information alone, without properly checking our records for facts and figures on whether the alleged vehicles were appropriated for or not by the agencies that purchased them.
“Our appeal to the general public for now is that they should exercise patience on the entire crises bedevilling the aviation sector, as the Senate and, in particular,  its committee on aviation, will surely carry out thorough investigation to unravel the whole crisis.”
Speaking on when the minister would be invited, Senator Uzodinma said “with the approval of the votes and proceedings of the last Senate session today (Tuesday), containing the summoning, our committee will now meet within the week to fix the exact date of invitation of the minister and other relevant aviation chiefs for questioning.”
Sequel to a motion moved by the minority whip, Honourable Samson Osagie, the House also ordered a probe into the renovation  contract at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport and the alleged continued barring of foreign airlines from same airport by  the aviation authorities.
The House asked its committee to determine “whether it is correct that the purchase of the vehicles was made; whether the purchase was authorised by any appropriation laws; whether NCAA has been complying with Fiscal Responsibility Act on Internally Generated Revenue and whether the minister is entitled to such vehicles under any law in Nigeria.”
The committee would also determine “whether the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and all anti-corruption agencies is not bound to investigate and prosecute those involved and whether the president can continue to retain the services of the minister and all those involved in the matter.”
Honourable Osagie, while moving the motion, said “given the poverty and unemployment crises ravaging our nation and its people, it will be absurd and unthinkable for an agency of government to connive with its political head to incur such an expenditure simply for the comfort and safety of one public officer.”
He expressed worry that the furore generated by the matter had questioned the stand of the current administration against corruption.
Most of the members who supported the motion called for the need to carry out thorough investigation on the matter.
Honourable Mathew Omegara and Honourable Mohammed Wudil, members of the House Committee on Aviation, noted that the committee never appropriated for the purchase of the two BMW armoured cars.
The House, also on Tuesday, mandated its committee on aviation to probe the activities of the Federal Ministry of Aviation with respect to granting landing rights to foreign airlines to operate in Mallam Aminu Kano and Nnamadi Azikwe International airports.
This was sequel to a motion moved by Honourable Aliyu Madaki, as the House mandated the committee to investigate the renovation work done at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, in order to ascertain whether the job had  been carried out as specified in the agreement.
When the two motions were put to vote by the Speaker, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, they were unanimously supported by members.

NAMA denies buying limousines for Oduah
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has denied that it bought four limousines for Oduah.
The reaction came after an online publication reported on Tuesday that the agency also bought limousines for the minister.
In a statement issued by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Supo Atobatele, NAMA described the publication as mischievous.
“We hereby make it categorically clear to the unsuspecting public that this evil story, as being promoted, is patently false in its entirety and calculated to put the agency and the office of the minister into disrepute.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the said Limousines belong to a concessionaire, who is running a VIP shuttle service for non-schedule operators (charter flights).
“The said vehicles were never on the inventory of NAMA and we would like to declare with all emphasis that we do not run ground services as we are statutorily an air navigation service provider,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) has decried the purchase of two armoured vehicles worth N255 million for Oduah by the NCAA.
In a statement by Segun Sango, its protem national chairperson, the group said “to us at the SPN, what this has also shown is that the problem in the aviation sector is not primarily that of lack of fund, but gross mismanagement of resources.”
It called on industrial unions in the sector to ensure that no worker was victimised.