In response to the query issued by the president, the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah has defended the purchase of two armoured vehicles by the NCAA.
She insisted that the procurement of the two armoured BMW cars at the cost of N255 million followed due process.
According to the minister, provision was made in the 2013 budget for the procurement of the vehicles along with other specialised equipment, to complement or replace obsolete ones.
Part of Ms. Oduah’s response, says “towards the effective implementation of its statutory regulatory responsibilities, it is imperative that the NCAA is fully equipped with highly specialised tools and facilities, including adequate operational vehicles to cover all 22 national airports and over 400 airstrips.”
In addition to querying the minister, President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday set up a three-man administrative panel to investigate the purchase of the armoured cars.
The panel has two weeks to submit its findings.
With the minister’s reaction, a lot may be uncovered, as already the House of Representatives has also mandated its committee on aviation to investigate the controversy surrounding the purchase of the two exotic armoured vehicles by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) which are said to be for the Minister, as members of the committee of aviation said the committee had not approved that expenditure in the agency’s budget..
The conclusion to investigate was reached after a debate on a motion of urgent national importance by the minority whip Samson Osagie who brought up the matter during plenary.
The lawmaker said given the poverty in the land, it was unpatriotic for an agency of government to incur such expenditure for the comfort and safety of one public officer.
The Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Fola Akinkuotu also reacted to media reports on the circumstances surrounding the procurement of two BMW 760 LI armoured series cars by the agency after the purchase began generating so many reactions from groups and Nigerians alike.
The NCAA D.G. stated that the cars are operational vehicles used in the varied operations of the NCAA including transporting the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah and aviation-related foreign dignitaries.
He also said the purchase of the two cars which cost N255m followed due process and the NCAA remains focused on enforcing standards and promoting safety in line with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).