Aviation Minister Sets Up Panel To Probe N255m Cars Leak

Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah

Minister of aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, has set up a panel to investigate how information about two bullet-proof cars, purchased for her at N255 million by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, was leaked to the media, sources said on Friday.

Sources in the aviation ministry said the newly set up panel is headed by the Director of Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Adamu Abdullahi, adding that investigation will revolve around the NCAA.

Sahara Reporters had on 15 October published documents that revealed that NCAA had in August this year bought two bullet-proof BMW cars at the whopping sum of N255 million for Stella Oduah, a revelation the agency could not deny as there were documents backing the allegation.

The online news medium noted that the minister did not have the power to request such gifts from the cash-strapped NCAA, especially at the time the agency was said to have cut back on training of vital staff, the cars were highly overpriced.

Also reacting, NCAA DG, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu said it was criminal for government information to have been gotten in an illegal manner by online media practitioners, adding: “We are in the process of trying to find the source of this leak and I’m very concerned about it. This information may look trivial, there are other information that we have that are confidential and it is only fair for us to respect the confidentiality of information. It is not fair for somebody to ‘break’ into your office and obtain information illegally.”