N255m BMW bullet proof cars were not bought for me-Oduah

N255m BMW bullet proof cars were not
bought for me-Oduah
on october 31, 2013 at 4:49 pm in news
By Emman Ovuakporie and Levinus Nwbuhiogu
ABUJA-MINISTER of Aviation,Princess Stella Oduah
Thursday told members of the House of
Representatives Committee on Aviation that the
alleged purchase of N255million BMW armoured
cars were not bought for her personal use.
Oduah who astonished stakeholders with this
disclosure at the investigative hearing on the issue
in her 12 page presentation said:
“As you all are aware, what necessitated this public
hearing were the events that followed a false and
malicious online publication that I had compelled the
NCAA to purchase for me 2 nos BMW bullet proof
cars at the cost of $1.6million. ”
“Let me state emphatically that from the onset that
the allegation concerning the purchase of the 2 nos
bullet proof cars for me by the NCAA is false in its
entirety. ”
After reading her presentation, Rep Zakari Lafia
Mohammed asked her whether it is a loan or lease
that her agency obtained from FBN, she said it is
the same. She said the money NCAA would pay
would still be below the N240million at the end of
the year.
On whether she acted within the ambit of the law in
giving approval beyond N100 million , she said she
approved the money and asked the NCAA to do the
needfull.
What is the needfull?
The Committee and the minister disagreed on what
do the needfull meant.
She had claimed that in her approval she said kindly
do the needfull.
Rep Mohammed took on her that saying the needfull
means a go ahead to implement.
Responding, Oduah said”no you are wrong on that
the needfull does not mean full approval. ”
The NCAA DG Folu Akinkuotu was asked whether he
did the needfull, he said he was not In-charge at
NCAA when the order was given for the purchase.
The permanent secretary of the Ministry, George
Ossi was tackled for misleading the minister by not
appropriately advising her.
The committee said the permanent secretary ought
to have asked the NCAA to do the right thing.
The PS claimed that due diligence ought to have
been done by the agency before applying for the
approval.
He claimed that he was not available at the time
everything happened .
The DG said he would have followed the
procurement Act if he were the one the directive
was given to do the needfull.
He said the acting DG Joyce Daniel Nkemakolam
ought to explain why he did not do that.
Nkemakolam said we interpreted the directive to
mean to go through it in line with the procurement
Act. He said they did the due diligence but they had
a mindset that they were within the budget limit.
But he was asked why he didn’t do due diligence to
ensure that it was in tandem with the procurement
law, he said he thought since the agency had got
the approval of the National Assembly there was no
need for such diligence.
He was asked why he initiated a memo to approve
54 vehicles when what the National assembly
approved was 25 vehicles.
He was reminded that what was approved was
N240million and not N643million.
NCAA was asked whether the board sought
approval of the president to approve the car loan.
Nkemakolam said he was working on the mindset
that they were still within the approved limit.
He said that what NCAA discussed with First bank
was a lease. He was asked the date the board of
NCAA approved the loan facility.
The DG was asked how many trainings did he
organise for NCAA staff , he said he relied on
experts.
He said that his mindset has always being that they
did not exceed the amount approved.
He was asked whether the NCAA board approved
the money.
He said the NCAA has interim board. He said that he
was working on account that it was a lease not loan.
The drama continued with Rep Manwe asking the
former DG of NCAA to disclose who uses the
controversial bullet proof cars since the Minister
bluntly confessed that they were not bought for her
use.
“Who is using the vehicles now since the Minister
said they were not purchased for her?” he asked.
To the DG, that was one question that got him
jolted. Minutes passed before he could provide an
answer. And when he finally found his voice, he said
“Anybody can use the vehicles when they are in the
pool. They are operational vehicles.”
But the Lawmaker wouldn’t give up. He continued
with a rider to the question.
“Do you mean that a messenger or cleaner in the
agency can use the cars?” He asked.
At this juncture, the hearing room became deadened
in silence with the DG losing his voice for the
second time.
And when again, he found it, he answered this way:
“those categories of vehicles are for VIPs which
include the Minister, including you, the Honorable.”
Just then a blast of laughter erupted in the hall
which to some extent provided some comic relief to
everyone in the hall.
But Rep Manwe wouldn’t stop. He asked again, “can
we have the log book of the movement of the car?
With a subdued babbling voice which came in
separate minutes, the DG answered ” I am not a
transport officer. I don’t know whether they are still
keeping those log books.”
When it now became obvious that the DG was
exhaustive of all the answers he had, the
Lawmakers mandated the agency to bring the man
who received the vehicles at the point of delivery by
Coscharis Motors.
With that, the hearing came to a close.
In her closing remark, the chairperson, Onyejeocha
assured Nigerians that justice would be done to the
report of the hearing.
“Fact speak for itself. We have tried to listen to
people: Coscharis, the Minister, NCAA, First Bank ,
BPP and Customs, and we have their submissions
with us. We will consider what we have whether it
is in line with the extant laws and financial
regulations.
We assure everyone and all Nigerian that we will do
justice to this hearing,” Onyejeocha said.
Speaking with some Journalists shortly after the
hearing, the Minister, Oduah expressed gratitude to
the National Assembly for giving her an opportunity
to present her own side of the story.