Activities at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu were temporarily grounded for few hours when a youth group under the aegis of Igbo Progressive Union stormed the airport on Saturday morning to protest against calls for the removal of Nigeria’s aviation minister, Stella Oduah.
While addressing newsmen during the protest, the leader of the group Emeka Agbo, said youths especially in the South East are prepared to do everything possible to protect Mrs Oduah.
The group argued that the aviation minister is innocent of the scandal against her as the purchase of the two armoured BMW vehicles the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) allegedly bought for her is in the best interest of the Aviation Sector.
According to the protesters, “some highly placed individuals especially her political detractors are the master minders of this evil seed as they are all out to tarnish the image and pedigree of the Minister.”
The protesters including young men and women carried placards with different inscriptions accusing some unnamed politicians of being behind the calls for the removal of the minister insisting that the intention of the cabal was to stop the minister from going ahead with her transformation agenda in the aviation sector.
There has been a public outcry against the purchase of the two vehicles which cost a total of N225 million. Hence, several groups and individuals have called for the Minister’s dismissal.
They argued that she has done so much in the Aviation Sector under the transformation agenda of President Goodluck and that she has affected so many lives during her tenure as the Aviation minister.
Also, the kinsmen of the embattled minister who were joined in the protest led by a George Nwabueze, traditional ruler from Ogbaru community, threw their weight behind the Aviation minister. They argued that the whole scenario is a political witch hunt by some people who are against the re-election of the President in 2015.
Meanwhile, a group under aegis of South East Progressive Assembly (SEPA) condemned the action of the protesters. And insisted that the aviation minister must resign honourably to avoid the wrath of tax payers of whom she used their money in purchasing the armoured bullet proof cars.
While addressing newsmen in Owerri the Imo state capital, the president of the South east progressive assembly Ebere Uzoukwa said the actions by the aviation minister showed that she’s not capable of running the affairs of the ministry and as such, she should resign and allow President Goodluck Jonathan to appoint capable hands from any other part of the country.
Although there has been calls from different quarters for the removal of the Aviation minister Stella Odua over the controversies trailing the purchase of two bullet proof cars for her by the Aviation Authority, NCAA, has insisted that purchase of the vehicle followed due process and the cars were part of the operational vehicles provided in the NCAA 2013 budget which is in line with NCAA condition of service.
