Official : President Jonathan Finally Sacks Stella Oduah, Nigeria’s Aviation Minister And Others - Report

 Nigeria’s Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, has been fired by President Goodluck Jonathan after she was caught in a web of certificate scandals and a scandalous purchase of two BMW armored cars for $1.6 million. Both scandals were exposed by Saharareporters, last year.

Ms. Oduah and three other ministers within the Jonathan govt were relieved of their positions on the orders of Mr. Jonathan. However, their sack was passed off as  voluntary resignation from the cabinet.

 The other ministers sacked includes, the minister of the Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe, minister of police affairs, Chris Olukolade and the minister of state for Finance, Yerima  Ngama

Late last year, it was reported that Ms. Oduah had compelled the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to pay Coscharis Motors, an auto dealer, approximately $1.6 million for two BMW bullet-proof cars. Investigations showed that the highest cost for each such car in both the US and UK was $267,000 per car. NCAA and other sources further disclosed that the two cars were never delivered, compounding a scam by Ms. Oduah who reportedly split the $1.6 million funds with Cosmas Maduka, the chief executive of Coscharis.

More recently too, SaharaReporters discovered that the former Aviation Minister did not earn a Masters degree she claimed to have received from a US college.

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EFCC Given 14 Days Ultimatum To Arrest Stella Oduah

 An anti-corruption group, ''Say No Campaign'', has given the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) a 14-day ultimatum to investigate the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, based on the House of the Representatives report on the ministry’s purchase of two armored BMW cars for N255 million.

“The recent corruption allegation against the Minister of Aviation for the illegal purchase of 2 armored BMW cars at the outrageous price of N255 million generated citizens’ uproar and received popular condemnation from different stakeholders in the polity,” the group said in a letter to the anti-graft agency.

 Last October, the House of Representative ordered its committee on aviation to probe the purchase of the armored vehicles.

The committee submitted its report a week later dismissing every claim made by the minister in relation to the purchase. The report revealed that there was no appropriation for the purchase.

It also revealed that due process was not followed in the procurement. Quoting section 7 (I) of the EFCC Act, Say No Campaign noted that the anti-graft commission is empowered to investigate all economic and financial crimes.

It therefore asked that the EFCC commences investigation into the purchase of the armored cars; arrest the minister and prosecute her in a court of competent jurisdiction.

Say No Campaign said it would institute legal action against the commission if it failed to commence investigation into the matter. Mrs. Oduah was indicted for approving the purchase of the cars, which were unbudgeted for, at an inflated price.

A presidential committee set up by President Goodluck Jonathan is believed to have come to similar conclusion; with many Nigerians calling for the minister’s sack.

Apart from the financial scandal, Mrs. Oduah is also involved in an academic qualification scandal where she lied about her educational qualification to Nigeria lawmakers.

Mrs. Oduah, a major campaigner for Mr. Jonathan in the 2011 presidential elections, is however yet to be rebuked or removed by the president.

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Verdict On Stella Oduah By GEJ Three Men Committee,,,

Despite all the controversy surrounding the car scandal, the three man committe constituted by President Goodluck Jonathan to look into the N255 million armoured Beamer procured by the NCAA for the Aviation Minister Stella oduah has submitted their reports to their Oga at the top.

 RECOMMENDATION The Minister should be given an Executive caution by Mr President. 

This is a simple way of saying she has been discharged and acquitted of all corruption charges.I know there was something called execution pardon but didn't know there was anything like executive caution.

It is clear that the reasons she acts without following due process or following the rule of law is because she knows she can get away with anything.This is why some people will always behave like they are bigger than the law. 

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Bulletproof Cars: Panel Submit Result, Recommend 3-year Jail Term For Oduah

The House Committee on Aviation which investigated the purchase of two armoured BMW cars for the aviation minister, Stella Oduah at the rate of N255m has submitted its report.

Oduah should face the consequence of spending public money on unbudgeted expenditure such as the purchase of the cars: a three-year jail term and a fine of N100, 000. These are

part of 

recommendations of the report of the House Committee on Aviation.

“That the contract for the purchase of the cars was not listed in the budget by NCAA, the agency compelled by the minister to make the purchase, and was 

not listed by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

“That spending public funds on unbudgeted projects attracts three years in jail and a fine of N100, 000 as stipulated by the ICPC Act.”

“The minister’s poor supervisory role led NCAA into unilaterally appropriating funds against next year’s budget. The above is an indirect contempt of parliament, even so that the president and commander-in-chief has not submitted to the National Assembly the 2014 Appropriation Bill.”

“The minister has not addressed why the NCAA paid a price tag that auto dealers in the US and UK described as ‘a rip-off’. It is a fact that each of the BMW cars should cost no more than $167,000 which is approximately N36 million.

“Aviation minister approved NCAA’s request to procure 55 operational vehicles valued at N564.665 million; there is no evidence to show that the Hon. Minister presented NCAA’s request to FEC for its approval. Further, the attempt to procure now and pay later is against the extant laws of the federation.”

They therefore recommended that “the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should review the continued engagement of the Hon. Minister for Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, having contravened the 2013 appropriation and approved revised thresholds by exceeding her approval limit of N100m with the purchase of 54 vehicles valued at N643m”.

On the finding of the panel that the cars allegedly purchased were different from the ones they inspected, the legislators recommended that the “Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other relevant anti-corruption agencies further investigate the discrepancies and the chassis number DW68032 of the vehicles on the one reported to be delivered and the one inspected by the committee, and, if found wanting, prosecute all persons/institutions involved in the transaction”.

The report also asks the company from which the cars were purchased, Coscharis Nigeria Limited, to pay the value of the waiver for the two BMW armoured cars, having been found to have lied about the federal government giving it waiver on the cars.

It states: “Coscharis Nigeria Limited should be investigated on the issue of waiver, source and exact cost of the two (2) BMW vehicles supplied to NCAA. It should be made to pay the waiver value into the treasury account.

“Coscharis Motors Limited claimed that the Federal Ministry of Finance granted it import duty, VAT, ETLS, CISS and port charges waiver to import two (2) bulletproof BMW armoured cars. This claim is false.”

The lawmakers also found that there were: “No copies of advertisements or solicitations for bids published in at least 2 national newspapers and the website of NCAA as well as any procurement journal. No copies of bids submissions registers and duplicate copies of receipts issued to bidders on submission bids. No minutes of public bidding for technical and financial proposals, including list of CSOs and professional observers. No copies of bids evaluation by the sub-technical committees of the Tenders Board, and copies of minutes of meetings of the Tenders Board approving the winning bidder.”

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Seun Kuti Advises Stella Oduah's On Scandal:The Facts Have Indicted You, Be Courageous And Apologize.

After the house hearing on Stella Oduah's car scandal, we haven't heard much about the much talked about scandal but like father like son, Seun has not given up on the issue as he issued a statement on his facebook page advicng Stella oduah to own up and apologize to the Nigeria public citing areas of her inconsistency. Read his statement below:

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I DID NOT REQUEST FOR ARMOURED VEHICLES – ODUAH

According to ongoing report, the Aviation minister Stella Oduah currently embroiled in a N255 million automobile purchase scandal said she did not at any point in time request for the said cars.

The minister, who as at the time of filing this report was still answering questions from the House of Representatives committee on Aviation, said though NCAA has needs for new operational vehicles, she insists the armoured cars were not meant for her but for foreign dignitaries.

“Nothing in the stated documents mentioned my name. I did not request for any vehicles. All I did was to approve the purchase, subject to the agency doing the needful. NCAA followed due process as required by law.

“The Federal ministry of aviation under my watch has always ensured we act in a prudent manner and under the ambit of the law” Oduah defended.

Oduah referred to the cars purchased as the “needs” of the NCAA in its quarterly budgeting.

“It is not true, cannot be true that NCAA bought bullet proof vehicles for honourable minister of aviation. My understanding is that what NCAA has done is to plan for its vehicle needs for the next three years under the Medium Term Expenditure Framework”.

She also took a swipe at numerous online publications saying their allegations were not substantiated but based on the “erroneous” comment of her aide who initially admitted to the alleged purchase.

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Anti-Corruption Man, Dino Melaye Arrested For Organizing ''Stella Oduah-Must-Go Protest''

The police in Abuja on Wednesday arrested the Executive Director, Anti-Corruption Network, Dino Melaye, after the former House of Representatives member led pro-democracy activists on a protest, calling for the removal of the Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, over the armoured car scandal.

The minister has recently come under fire for allegedly ordering the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to buy her two bullet-proof BMW cars, worth $1.6m (about N255m).

The protest, which held at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja, around 11am, was not without drama as some groups also staged a counter-protest, to drum up support for the embattled minister.

While the police averted an impending clash between the two groups, the security operatives, led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police in the FCT, Sunday Olukoya, allowed the pro-Oduah protesters to leave, but stopped the bus conveying Melaye supporters, declaring that they are under arrest.

Melaye, however, protested, asking the police the rationale behind the arrest of the protesters and offering to be arrested in their place.

The former lawmaker said, “When the police pension fund was stolen, we protested on behalf of the police; we were not arrested. When we protested against the theft of fuel subsidy fund, we were not arrested.

“Now that we are protesting the theft of the nation’s money by the action of the minister, who used Nigeria’s money to buy armoured cars in the midst of lack, we are under arrest. The money was not budgeted for, not appropriated.

“The protest affects everybody; the police are also affected because they are taxpayers. I’m also a taxpayer.”

Melaye and others were later arrested by the police and whisked away in a Toyota Hilux van, marked NPS 21280 at about 1pm.

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President Jonathan Agrees To Fire Stella Oduah and Recover The N255m

President Goodluck Jonathan has come under intense pressure from his advisers to sack corrupt Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, over the N255m bulletproof car scandal.

Already, the President Jonathan has met with his close associates and they have concluded that Stella Oduah is a baggage that is too heavy for Jonathan to carry. “She has to go. This disgrace is too much.”

A source close to Jonathan’s inner circle in Aso Rock told Nigerian News Portal that the cash will be recovered. I hear that Stella Oduah is seriously begging Patience Jonathan to save her job and her face.

The call for the minister’s removal followed the ministry’s confirmation on Wednesday that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority bought two bulletproof vehicles worth $1.6m (N255m) for Stella Oduah.

The NCAA had on Friday claimed that the cars were in its possession and are used to “convey the minister and visiting foreign dignitaries.”

But this contradicted the statement of the minister’s aide, Mr. Joe Obi, who had earlier admitted that the cars were purchased because Stella Oduah’s life was in danger.

Following the development, leaders of anti-corruption groups have all said the minister’s acceptance of the cars amounted to receiving a bribe to neglect her duty, leading to the loss of lives in plane crashes.

Executive Director of CLO, Mr. Ibuchukwu Ezike, described the minister’s action as evidence of the level to which impunity had grown among public officers because of Jonathan’s inability to fight corruption.

He said, “If this happened in climes where laws are obeyed; where the credibility of processes is respected, such public officer is sacked and prosecuted. We believe that what has happened is enough reason for the minister, not only to be removed, but to be prosecuted.

“But these things happen and nothing is done. That is why we have been saying that the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not interested in fighting corruption.”

Similarly, the Executive Director of CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran, said Oduah and her accomplices should be sacked and prosecuted for corruption and negligence of duty.

He said, “Not only should Oduah be sacked, she and her accomplices should be promptly arrested, investigated, prosecuted and actually punished for such heinous crime. What she did is like taking a bribe from NCAA, which means she will no longer be able to maintain standard in aviation sector.

 And when standards are not maintained, all you get is that Nigerians are killed in plane crashes.”

When contacted by Punch, spokesperson for ICPC declined comment. He said: “No comment for now.” 

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