N255M CARS SCANDAL: NO DUE PROCESS WAS FOLLOWED – BPP TELLS REPS COMMITTEE

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation on Thursday to brief the members on the controversial purchase of the N255m bullet-proof cars for Ms Stella Oduah, saying that the Aviation Ministry approved the transaction before it was carried out. It also affirmed strongly that the Agency did not default in the transaction.

The Director of Aerodrome in the NCAA, Mr. Joyce Nkem-Akonam, disclosed this in a confrontational hearing of the Aviation committee’s public sitting in Abuja.

Nkem-Akonam, the acting Managing Director of the NCAA who handled the transaction had in his defence told the Committee members that since “Leased financing, not direct financing, was adopted to procure the vehicles,” the agency did not default in any way.

When further confronted in a question whether leased financing was not a commitment that the NCAA would still pay for, he further defended that such was in no way extra-budgetary spending.
As more questions hit him, he further defended that the NCAA got the approval to purchase the vehicles from the Aviation ministry.

On the contrary, the Bureau for Public Procurement disputed the claim, saying that no due process was followed during the transaction.
An official, who represented the Director-General of BPP, Mr. Ayo Aderigbigbe, told the committee that no ministry can approve any sum above N100m.

“A Ministerial tenders board can approve expenditure of N100m and below, but if it is above N100m, it must go before the Federal Executive Council,” he explained.

The BPP official equally disclosed they were not contacted by the NCAA over the car purchase.
He said, “We have nothing to forward to the committee on this matter. We have no information on the purchase of the two vehicles or the contract in question.”

The Director-General of the NCAA, Capt. Fola Akintuotu, had denied being in office when the transaction took place.
Defending himself, he said he resumed duties on August 14, after the purchase had already been made.
He however refused to make a comment regarding the position of the Minister’s aide (Joe Obi) that the cars were bought because Oduah’s life was under threat.

“I can’t speak for the SA(Special Adviser) to the Minister,” he responded.
Responding to another question on whether the Minister deserved such armoured vehicles, he said , “I believe that is a hypothetical question and I cannot answer it.”

Meanwhile, Oduah, who failed to appear before the committee as she was said to have travelled to Israel was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. George Ossi.
Ossi clarified that the Minister could not attend the sitting because she was already in Israel since the invitation letter sent to the Ministry got to the office on October 22.

He said, “The Minister had already left the country. She transmitted a scanned copy of her reply from Israel.
“She is leading the Nigerian delegation to Israel to sign a Bilateral Air Services Agreement.
“She cannot cut short her visit to Israel because they will most probably sign the BASA on Monday (next week).”

However, the committee, headed by Mrs. Nkiruka Onyejeocha, sin its position said the “NCAA clearly committed an illegality and breached the 1999 Constitution by spending without appropriation by the National Assembly.”

In its ruling, the committee ordered that Oduah be present at its next sitting on Tuesday without failure.
“Our ruling is that the Minister must be here on Tuesday,” Onyejeocha had cautioned. She also ordered that the NCAA appear on Tuesday with all its bank statements to back up the said transaction.