Both chambers of the National Assembly on Tuesday initiated concrete step towards investigations into the purchase of N225m-worth bulletproof cars by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah.
First, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Hope Uzodinma assured that the committee would embark on a thorough investigation of the controversial car purchase, and denied insinuations that the upper chamber has deliberately shied away from the responsibility.
According to Uzodinma, Oduah and other heads of agencies in the aviation ministry had not yet been summoned because the Senate has just approved the votes and proceedings of its sitting on 8th October 2013, where it was resolved that Oduah and others should be summoned.
He explained that now that the approval of the votes and proceedings of the last Senate session has been granted, the committee will meet before the end of the week to decide on a date when the minister and other officials would be called.
However, he refrained from making definite statements on the allegations against the minister, saying the Senate would only make official pronouncements when investigations have been completed.
“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,” Uzodinma said.
“However, we cannot jump into the fray of the controversy like that in the strength of media information alone without properly checking our records for facts and figures on whether the alleged vehicles bought were appropriated for or not by the agency that purchased them.”
He appealed to the general public to “exercise patience on the entire crisis bedevilling the aviation sector, as the Senate and in particular, its committee on aviation will surely carry out thorough investigation to unravel all issues behind the whole crisis.”
Elsewhere at the Federal House of Representatives, the Committee on Aviation was mandated to commence an immediate probe into the purchase of the cars, following a motion brought under matters of urgent national importance by Minority Whip, Hon. Samson Osagie.
Fresh from a three-week recess, the House gave the committee one week to investigate the matter and present a report.
Specifically, the committee is to find out whether it was correct that the purchase was made and whether the purchase was authorised by any appropriation law, determine if the NCAA has been complying with Fiscal Responsibilities Act on the remittance of its internally Generated Revenue, determine if the minister is entitled to such vehicle under any law in Nigeria and whether the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and all anti-corruption agencies are not bound to investigate and prosecute all those involved if no appropriation law approved the purchase, and finally, ascertain whether (even if any appropriation law approved it) the president can retain the services of the minister and all those involved in the matter.
