Minister Forced Aviation Agency To Spend $1.6 M On Two BMW Armoured Cars(

How Aviation Minister Stella Oduah
Forced Cash-Strapped Aviation Agency
To Spend $1.6 Million On Two BMW
Armored Cars For Her
SaharaReporters has obtained documents
further exposing the depth of corruption
and mismanagement of public funds at
Nigeria’s Ministry of Aviation headed by
Stella Oduah. One of the documents details
how Ms. Oduah compelled the cash-
strapped Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
(NCAA) to purchase two armored BMW cars
for the minister. NCAA is the agency
charged with ensuring the airworthiness of
commercial planes flying within Nigeria’s
airspace. Two officials of the agency told
SaharaReporters that the NCAA did not
have enough funds to upgrade equipment,
send staff for critical training, and hire
enough qualified staff. “Yet, all the minister
is concerned about is to have two exotic
BMW cars from the little money we have for
operations,” one of the sources said.
The documents obtained by
SaharaReporters indicate that the
transaction for the purchase of the two
BMW vehicles started in June 2013.
However, the request for delivery of and
payment for the two vehicles was fast-
tracked between August 13 and 15 2013.
The transaction involved the NCAA, First
Bank of Nigeria, and Coscharis Motors
Limited.
In a letter dated August 13, 2013, J.D
Nkemakolam of the NCAA sent a letter to
the Managing Director of Coscharis Motors
asking the company to deliver to the NCAA
two BMW 760 armored vehicles based on a
pro-forma invoice dated June 25, 2013 at
the cost of N127, 575,000 ($796,846.21)
each. The total amount for the two vehicles
came to N255,150,000, or $1,593,687.31.
The NCAA’s letter directed Coscharis
Motors to deliver the vehicles with sales
invoices, delivery notes, and attestation
documents.
Our documents reveal that the payment for
the vehicles was made into a First Bank of
Nigeria account (number 2018912995 with
sort code: 0111152303), according to a
letter signed by Godwin Umeaka, Coscharis’
group financial controller.
The two black BMW Li HSS vehicles had
chases numbers WBAHP41050DW68032 and
WBAHP41010DW68044 respectively. The
two cars were delivered to the NCAA on
August 13, 2013, where it was received by
two store managers, F. Onoabhagbe and
Y.A. Amzat (who is also the agency’s head
of transport). On August 15, 2013, Sola
Ogunsakin of the NCAA signed off to certify
completion of the transaction.
In an extensive investigation of the Aviation
sector after three air mishaps in Nigeria’s
airspace, SaharaReporters found a pattern
of questionable expenditures authorized by
the minister. Several insiders within the
aviation industry have told SaharaReporters
that Ms. Oduah and President Goodluck
Jonathan had focused on the Aviation
Ministry as a source for a series of corrupt
activities.
“Under Mrs. Oduah, the ministry has
carried out many big capital development
projects. But what outsiders don’t know is
that these projects are being used to divert
big amounts into private pockets,” an
aviation source said.
Our sources disclosed that the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
had investigated several corrupt practices
in the aviation sector, but added that the
anti-corruption agency never had the
backbone to act on their findings due to
political pressure from the Presidency.
Several sources at the agency told
SaharaReporters that they were not aware
of the whereabouts of the two BMW cars.
Some of the sources stated that the cars
were handed to the minister who had
converted them to private use.
Several interest groups have been
demanding the removal of Ms. Oduah,
citing her corrupt tendencies,
mismanagement of aviation funds and
incompetence. Under her watch, the
Nigerian airspace has witnessed several air
mishaps that claimed the lives of at least
140 people.
A Presidency source told SaharaReporters
that Ms. Oduah still retains the confidence
of President Jonathan. She is a close
associate of Mr. Jonathan, serving as the
treasurer who handled funds for the
Jonathan campaign during the 2011
presidential election. She also co-chaired
the campaign group known as Neighbor-
To-Neighbor.
Minister of Aviation BMW 760 Li HSS
Armoured car documents
http://saharareporters.com/news-page/
how-aviation-minister-stella-oduah-forced-
cash-strapped-aviation-agency-spend-16-
million-t

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.10