Jonathan’s ill health: Presidency threatens Sahara Reporters, others with libel

The Presidency has threatened to sue Sahara Reporters and some other online news medium for reporting that the ill health of President Goodluck Jonathan was triggered by heavy partying in the United Kingdom to mark his 56th birthday.

The Presidency, in a statement signed by presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, said Jonathan never had a party to mark his birthday.
Abati said it is the custom with Jonathan not to mark his birthday.
He said the President was airborne between Abuja and London on Wednesday and spent the rest of the day in his hotel room in the United Kingdom.
In the thank you statement, Abati accused Sahara Reporters of hate treatment for the President.
The statement reads in full: “President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan thanks all patriotic and well-meaning Nigerians, including his supporters, friends and political associates who expressed and conveyed their sympathies and solidarity with him, through various means, following the announcement of his sudden indisposition while on a mission to attract greater investments to accelerate the growth of the Nigerian economy in keeping with his agenda for national transformation.
“The Presidency also commends the generality of the mainstream media whose coverage of the President’s slight health challenge in London was mostly factual, objective, fair-minded and supportive.
“We however condemn the utterly irresponsible, deplorable, highly unprofessional and unethical antics of certain fringe elements operating in the nebulous sphere of cyberspace who persist in seizing every opportunity to unjustifiably malign and impugn the character and integrity of the elected leader of their country.
“It is very regrettable indeed that after, in compliance with President Jonathan’s standing instruction that Nigerians must never be kept in the dark about the state of his health, the public was duly informed that the President had received precautionary medical attention for an unexpected indisposition in London, Sahara Reporters and some other reckless, lawless, impudent and unpatriotic internet-based media chose to assault the sensibilities of all decent Nigerians again with their entirely fictional, malicious, hate-driven and scurrilous distortion of the facts of the President’s indisposition.
“The suggestion by Sahara Reporters that President Jonathan took ill following a “heavy birthday party thrown to celebrate the President’s 56th birthday at his Presidential suite in the InterContinental Hotel in London” is fictional nonsense as there was definitely no party in London to celebrate President Jonathan’s birthday on Wednesday night.
“The truth is that President Jonathan observed his 56th birthday anniversary quietly. For part of the day, he was airborne, in transit between Abuja and London. On arrival in London, he spent the rest of the day in the privacy of his hotel room. It has never been his custom to celebrate birthday anniversaries and no exception was made this year. No birthday party was therefore held for the President in London and there was certainly no drinking spree as Sahara Reporters claimed.
“As unregulated as they are, Sahara Reporters and their ilk are not beyond the bounds of legal action for libel and willful defamation of the character and reputation of a President who has courageously stepped forward to serve his country.
“They know very well that they can never substantiate or prove the constant false allegations and innuendoes they publish for the sole purpose of negatively portraying President Jonathan and his administration.
“Their incessant claim of a bibulous President is pure fiction and blackmail, and the product of malicious imagination. We warn that our forbearance of their disrespectful caricaturing of the President is not limitless.
“The Presidency will like to reiterate the trite point that no human being is beyond health challenges irrespective of their station in life. Sadly, this commonplace fact appears to be beyond the understanding of the publishers of Sahara Reporters who seem to have lost all sense of propriety, decency and human compassion.
“The President is comforted by the prayers, support and overwhelming goodwill of the people of Nigeria, fully assured that the forces of good will continue to triumph over the forces of darkness in our land.”

Some Pictures of Lagos Island Electrical Dealers Ass. Versus Ezediniru and friends friendly march 2013

Lagos Island Electrical Dealers Ass friendly march 2013 orangised and sponsored by Chief Ezediniru on 9th Novermber 2013.

Ezediniru and friends term.

Lagos Island Elecrical Dealers Ass (LIEDA)

FEC okays $300m World Bank loan to boost mortgage financing

Sequel to a memo brought to the Federal Executive Council by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Council on Wednesday approved a loan facility of N300 million to be accessed from the International Development Association to boost mortgage financing in the country.

The approval was granted to facilitate bridging the nation’s housing sector, the Minister of State for Finance, Yerima Lawan Ngama, told State House correspondents during post-Cabinet meeting.
Ngama said the objective of the Nigeria housing finance project is to increase access to housing finance by deepening the primary and secondary mortgage market in Nigeria.
According to the Minister, the housing demand in Nigeria has expanded rapidly due to current urbanization trends, putting the annual demand at an estimated 700,000 units.
He said this is far above the current production level of below 100,000 units.
Ngama said: “Council approved that we access $300 million from the International Development Association, which is a soft borrowing for developing countries from the World Bank.
“This facility is going to be used to meet the government’s objective in the proposed housing finance project.
“The Nigeria housing finance project is aimed at increasing access to housing finance through primary as well as secondary mortgage market in Nigeria.
“Right now, we only have primary mortgage institutions. so we are going to establish a mortgage refinance company that will benefit from this.
“Hence $250 million will be devoted to the establishment of the mortgage refinance company.
“The remaining money will also be used for three other companies for the Nigeria hosing finance project.
“The establishment of mortgage guarantees product targeted at the lower income borrower will gulp $25 million.
“This guarantee will enable people who otherwise cannot provide adequate collateral to access loans.
“There will also be $25 million, which that will be lent to housing micro finance banks so that they too provide housing finance.
“We know that one of the major issues that is constraining the development of our mortgage industry is lack of technical competence as well as capacity building.
“So $10 million will be devoted to capacity building and also as technical assistance.
“This would give them the capability to drive the mass housing scheme.”
Another memo considered and approved by Council was presented by the Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, seeking to grant Nigerian citizenship to 174 foreigners.
After deliberation, 45 foreigners were granted citizenship in the registration category while 129 were in the naturalization category.
However, Council denied 27 of the applicants over issues bothering on security and tax payments.

Senate extends emergency rule by six months

The Senate at plenary met behind closed doors on Thursday and after deliberation for an hour unanimously approved President Goodluck Jonathan’s request for extension of emergency rule in the North-East for another six months.

President Jonathan had on Wednesday sent a letter requesting for an extension of emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States by six months to the Senate.
He declared a state of emergency in those states in May, following escalation of attacks by Islamist sect, Boko Haram.
Also, the session, presided over by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekwerenmadu, resolved to summon the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Saad Ibrahim; the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Azubuike Ihejirika; the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba; and the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Badeh, to give situation reports on the emergency rule.
The Supervising Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof Viola Onwuliri is expected to attend the meeting.
The Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, had moved a motion vide Order 136 of the Senate Standing Orders that the House go into a closed session to discuss and consider President Jonathan’s correspondence of a security report on the state of emergency in the three affected states from the Chief of Army Staff.
“The discussion in closed session was unanimous to extend the state of emergency in the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe,” Ndoma-Egba announced at plenary.
He equally moved that the Senate “approve the request of Mr President, to extend the state of emergency in the three states on the same terms and conditions as earlier approved and gazetted.
“Following from our consideration of the President’s request in a closed session, I also move that we invite the service chiefs and the Foreign Affairs Minister to confirm the impact of the state of emergency in those states.”
The motion was seconded by the Minority Whip.

Reps summon Shell, Mobil, Total, others on cash calls

The House of Representatives has expressed its resolve to look into the country’s joint venture sharing agreement with the major International Oil Companies, tagged ‘cash calls’ budget performance for 2013.

Consequently, the Committee on Petroleum Resources and Upstream on Wednesday summoned the management of National Petroleum Investment Management Services to appear before it on November 18.
NAPIMS is a subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, charged with the responsibility of managing the Federal Government’s investment in the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry.
Also summoned are the Chief Executive Officers of major International Oil Companies, who are expected to appear on November 14, to defend the Joint Venture agreement they had with NAPIMS.
The oil majors invited are: Managing Directors of Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Chevron Nigeria Limited, Total Exploration and Production Nigeria limited, Nigeria AGIP OIL Company Limited, and Pan Ocean Oil Corporation.
The Chairman of the committee on Petroleum Resources and Upstream, Hon. Muraina Ajibola, handed down the committee’s resolution.
Ajibola said the managing directors of the IOCs must made available all documents relating to the cash calls.
Ajibola stressed the need for the committee to monitor the cash calls, saying: “We need this information for us to do our job properly.”
The committee contended that tracking the cash calls was necessary so that Nigerians are not shortchanged through the cash calls agreement with the IOCs.
A delegation of NAPIMS, led by the NNPC Group Executive Director in charge of Exploration and Production, Abiye Membere, assured the committee that all documents relevant to the cash calls would be made available.

Produce our N500b SURE-P fuel subsidy savings, by Peregrino Brima

#OduahGate is a joke compared to this. The unfolding story of the “missing N500 billion ($3 billion)” is probably the biggest, most horrible and most painful singular act of corruption, malgovernance and pure and simple day-light robbery from the citizens… all the citizens of a country, in recent times.

If it is true, that of the N800 billion that should have accrued since the removal of a piece of the fuel subsidy, last January – after our protests – only N300 billion is present and N500 billion is missing, the atrocity is earth-quaking.
According to Senator Kabiru Marafa, this Tuesday speaking on the funds released for the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P; the CBN reported a total of 25 billion litres imported for the period, and as we recollect that after Labor betrayed us, the price per liter was hijacked from N65 to N97. That gives N32 extra we have been paying for the period from January 2012 to September 2013. Simple math on that, multiplying 25 billion x 32 = N800 billion. WHERE IS OUR HARD EARNED N500 BILLION?
This administration must not play games with us. The total N800 billion, it was agreed will be invested via SURE-P in developmental projects. At the revelation, the committee complained that the finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and CBN governor, Sanusi Lamido, who could explain the deficit, both shunned attending or even being represented at the session! Mr. Marafa said that CBN is the custodian of our money, and they need to tell us where our money is. They better tell us clearly and precisely very soon, because this one is simply not a joke at all, at all!
Earlier documents linked from the SURE-P website, have shown that N86.5 billion was spent of N180bn budgeted for 2012 while the remaining balance of N93.5 billion was carried over into the 2013 budget. As at the committee report, only N207 billion has been “spent.”
We all go to the pump and pay an extra N32/liter every day, all of us, old, young and between, and then someone somewhere will believe that he can attempt to usurp our money—either borrow it or steal it outright, after the nation was shut down for weeks in January of last year in protest of this increase in price of gas.
Many of us, including my humble self were on the streets of Nigeria in those days in January; from the North to the South. Our pain brought us together. We peacefully protested, held each other’s arms, made human-chain fences to safe-guard each other as we prayed, Muslims and Christians. And some of us were killed. We rejected the removal of the fuel subsidy, because we knew it would amount to no good in this opprobrious 6th republic. We believed every opportunity of more money in the palms of the government will only end up as more stealing, more selling Nigeria to the cabal, more suffering and no progress. More armored cars, more private jets for those in power and their camarilla of private sector co-conspirators, more saving and diversion of our money for political campaign and more terror and insecurity in the nation.
I believe I speak on behalf of all Nigerians here. We give the CBN, minister of finance and ultimately the presidency an ultimatum of 7 days to account for and produce our money, complete.
#OccupyNigeria

Army kills seven Boko Haram suspects in Borno

The 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, Borno State said it shot dead seven suspected Boko Haram militants in a renewed onslaught in suspected hideouts of the insurgents in Borno.
Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Dole, the spokesman of the division, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Maiduguri.
Dole said: “In simultaneous operations conducted by troops from 5 Brigade at Ngala axis and 21 Brigade at general area of Bama on Monday, the military recorded huge successes as seven suspected Boko Haram militants were killed and several others injured.
“A total of 13 vehicles and several motorcycles belonging to the terrorists were destroyed.
“Some of the vehicles destroyed contained Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) meant to be detonated in some towns and villages within the state.
“Several arms and ammunition were also captured.”

Policeman who raped two-year-old dismissed, charged to court

A policeman, Corporal Anthony Onoja, who was accused of rape, has been dismissed and charged to court by the police high command.

This was contained in a statement on Tuesday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba.
Mba said contrary to media report, the police high command was not shielding Onoja from prosecution.
Onoja was accused of raping a two-year-old in Nasarawa State.
The statement by Mba reads: “The attention of the Police High Command has been drawn to news being circulated in some quarters, of alleged complacency of the Police Force in handling the case of alleged rape against one Cpl Anthony Onoja. Contrary to these false and clearly twisted facts, the Nigeria Police has since 13th September, 2013, dismissed Cpl Anthony Onoja. The ex-Policeman who allegedly raped a minor at Kabayi area of Mararaba in Nasarawa State, was charged to a Nasarawa High Court, on 15th September, 2013, for the offence of rape, under Charge sheet No NSD/77C/2013.
“The suspect was dismissed after an in-house administrative disciplinary panel (Orderly Room) indicted him for the disciplinary offences of discreditable conduct and conduct unbecoming of a Police Officer. A full scale criminal investigation of the alleged offence of rape was conducted by the Anti-Human Rights Section of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Nasarawa State Police Command. The Case Diary was subsequently forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Nasarawa State Ministry of Justice, for legal advice. Based on the advice of the DPP, Anthony Onoja was charged to High Court 3 in Nasarawa State. The prosecution of the ex-Police Cpl is being conducted by the Office of the DPP and is on-going. These facts can be verified by any Nigerian or group who wishes to so do.
“The Nigeria Police Force, in the light of the foregoing, finds it rather preposterous that well meaning Nigerians will insinuate that the Force concealed and thereby condoned the condemnable action of Anthony Onoja. Without fear of contradiction, the Nigeria Police Force remains one of the most self cleansing institutions in the country and has always disciplined its erring personnel without any prompting from any quarter.
“The IGP has also appealed to the general public to desist from rendering blanket judgment against members of the Force for the singular misdeed of one of its members, reminding everyone that the Force, like any other institution in the country, is made up of persons who individually, might not be perfect in all ramifications, just as there is no perfect institution anywhere in the world. While the present Police Administration is determined to pursue the Reformation agenda of the Force, with the objective of bequeathing a People-friendly Police to Nigerians, it will be necessary to remind all that this task demands a collective effort. The IGP further assured Nigerians of the readiness of his Administration to ensure that all essential components of his on-going reforms are achieved and that the Force will remain focused in the discharge of its duties.”

N500b SURE-P funds unaccounted for by NNPC – Senator

A member of the Senate Ad hoc Committee on the Subsidy Re-investment Empowerment Programme, Senator Kabiru Marafa, has raised the alarm over N500 billion SURE-P funds that are unaccounted for by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation.

Marafa (PDP Zamfara) made the disclosure at a meeting of the committee on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to him, records made available to the committee shows that so far the money realised from the subsidy funds is up to N800 billion.
He said: “This committee wrote to the relevant organisations that benefit from this SURE-P programme when it was inaugurated.
“It was said that the subsidy regime was going to be N32 per litre.
“This committee wrote the NNPC to ascertain the quantity of fuel being imported from the time this subsidy programme started.
“The NNPC replied and gave us a breakdown of the quantity per month from January 2012 to December 2013, which, if you calculate, it will give about 21 months.
“When you sum up everything, it comes to roughly about 25 billion litres.
“Now, if you multiply 25 billion by N32, you get about N800 billion.”
Marafa, however, said the officials of the SURE-P told the committee that they had collected only N300 billion so far for the Programme.
Marafa added: “SURE-P told us, when we invited them, that they collected about N300 billion at N15 billion flat rate per month.
“So if you multiply 21 by N15 billion, you will get about N315 billion.
“So what we are talking about is the amount involved which is 500 billion.
“Where is it?
“That is what we want NNPC to tell us.
“They are the ones importing the fuel.
“They are the custodian.”
However, the Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Allison-Madueke, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, and officials of the NNPC failed to show up at the meeting to explain the shortfall.
The CBN sent in deputy directors as representatives but the committee insisted that they would take presentations from only a Deputy Governor or a more senior official.
The Chairman of the committee, Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP-Bauchi), said the committee and the Senate would use every legitimate opportunity in calling to order those who were treating them with impunity and disdain.
Ningi said that several Nigerians were dissatisfied with the implementation of the SURE-P programme, which was why the Senate wanted to give the implementors the opportunity to clarify the issues.
He said: “I think what this tells us is that this SURE-P programme, which seems to be for me a cardinal programme of this government, is being undermined from the inside.
“I have no doubt in my mind that the non-appearance of these agencies confirm our fears and reservations of Nigerians on the secrecy of the implementation of the SURE -P programme.”
The chairman said since the mandate of the committee was to unravel the details of the implementation of the programme, nothing would make it lose its focus.
He added: “We will not be provoked into not continuing with this job.
“Our job is to keep inviting them.
“We will not succumb to this unfortunate attitude because we are elected directly by the people and all of them are appointed by the president directly.
“They are therefore accountable to us and we are accountable to the people.
“The National Assembly will not continue to give legitimacy through appropriation to our collective inheritance where the individuals who run it will not come to give account of the monies.”
He said that a new date would be communicated to the CBN, the NNPC and the minister to appear before the committee.

Four-storey building collapses in Lagos

A four-story building collapsed in Lagos State on Monday.

Several persons, mainly artisans, were trapped in the building located on Muri Okunola Street, Victoria Island.
The building collapsed at about 3.30pm. Those trapped were yet to be rescued as at press time.

Immigration officer dies while presenting a paper in Niger State

It was a shocker on Monday when an Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, Abdulrazak Umaru Ruma, slumped and died while presenting a paper at a Stakeholders’ Consultative Forum organised by the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs in Minna, Niger State.

Our Correspondent gathered that Ruma was healthy when he arrived the Justice Legbo Kutigi Conference Centre to represent his boss, the State Comptroller of Immigration, and that he slumped few minutes into the presentation of the paper.
He was rushed to the Minna General Hospital where a doctor confirmed him dead.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police Richard Oguche, while confirming the incident, said Ruma was asthmatic.
Oguche said: “The preliminary investigation revealed that the deceased had a case of high blood pressure and he is an asthmatic patient.
“The Immigration Officer slumped while he was delivering his paper.
“We rushed him to hospital where he was confirmed dead.”
Oguche added that the State Police Command was pained by the loss of the officer while in active service and prayed God to grant the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
He also commiserated with the officers and men of the Nigeria Immigration Service, particularly those of the Niger State Command, over the sudden death of Ruma.

Fire guts 22-storey Great Nigeria House in Lagos

Hundreds of tenants and traders wept on Monday as fire engulfed the Great Nigeria House along Martins Street on Lagos Island, Lagos State, which served as their offices and warehouses.

The fire brought commercial activities in the Balogun area of Lagos Island to a standstill.
Many of the traders were seen scrambling to salvage few of their goods from the burning building.
The 22-storey Great Nigeria House, acclaimed as the fifth tallest building in Nigeria, accommodates Mainstreet Bank and also served as warehouses to some traders.
According to an eyewitness, the fire started at about 5am and was first noticed on the first floor.
He said that as at 10:30am, the fire had taken over the first four floors.
The eyewitness said the Federal Fire Service was quick to respond to the distress call of traders and more than five fire engines were lined up to battle the blaze.
However lack of adequate access to the building hampered the activities of the firemen as the building was surrounded by some other shopping plazas.
A staff of Mainstream Bank, who pleaded anonymity, said there was nobody in the building because the fire started before resumption of work.
Efforts to get the situation report from the officials of the Fire Service proved abortive as they were still battling to put out the fire.
An official of the fire service, who spoke with the agency in a rush, said the cause of the fire could not be ascertained yet, but that traders had been told to vacate the neighbouring buildings.
As at 11am, the firemen were able to contain the fire and also prevented it from spreading to other floors and shopping plazas around the skyscraper.

Enugu council poll peaceful, orderly

The local government election held in Enugu State on Saturday was peaceful and orderly but witnessed low turnout of voters in many polling stations, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
NAN correspondents who monitored the elections across the state report that few voters came out to cast their votes in some areas while others witnessed large turnout of voters.
At Amechi ward in Enugu South Local Government Area, Abakpa Nike in Enugu East and Agbani in Nkanu West, many voters, particularly women, cast their votes in an orderly manner.
It was, however, a different situation in Awgu, Enugu North, Udi, Oji River and Nsukka local government areas, which witnessed very few voters while many people went about their normal businesses.
NAN also reports that security agents, including the police and civil defence, were at the polling booths to ensure orderliness.
Speaking with journalists after casting his vote at Udi, Governor Sullivan Chime attributed the seeming apathy to the fact that most candidates were unopposed.
According to Chime, all the 17 chairmanship candidates were unopposed while very few wards like Eke in Udi have candidates contesting for the councillorship positions.
Chime explained that those who cast their votes did so to confirm the acceptability of the unopposed candidates.
He said: “What we have here is a ‘Yes or No’ voting to show that the people accepted or rejected the unopposed candidate.
“This is in accordance with the law establishing the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission.”
An electoral officer in Udi/Agbudu ward, Ernest Chime, said there was no election for unopposed councillorship candidates because they were automatically elected in line with the ENSIEC law.
Some of the voters and election observers in separate interviews expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the election but regretted the low turnout of the electorate.
Emmanuel Nnaji, a voter, told NAN that sensitive materials for the election arrived late but commended its peaceful conduct.
The Secretary of the Youth and Media Network, an Enugu-based NGO, Chuks Udeh, also regretted the non participation of the opposition parties in the elections.
A woman leader, Dr. Ngozi Agu, who also expressed dissatisfaction with the low turnout of voters, commended the women for their participation.
NAN reports that the biennial election was the fourth under the administration of Chime since he assumed office in 2007.

No amnesty for Ombatse militia - Al-Makura

Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State on Thursday denied reports that his administration was considering granting amnesty for the outlawed Ombatse militia.
Al-Makura said this when he briefed newsmen in Abuja.
He said the statement credited to him, when he delivered a lecture on October 29 at the Institute for Security Studies, Bwari, FCT, was calculated at dragging his administration to the mud.
The governor said the report was an attempt to rubbish the efforts by the state government towards finding a lasting solution to the activities of the group.
He said: “I feel really worried about this misrepresentation because nothing can be further from my views and mindset that I and my administration are bent on bringing the criminals and perpetrators to book.
“The statement credited to me will amount to preempting the work of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry.
“The committee was set up by the state government to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the killings of security personnel at Alakyo, who were on routine duty, and also to unmask their sponsors.”
The governor explained that he only implored security agents to intensify efforts at recovering arms that were illegally in the possession of the militia and other unauthorised persons.
Al-Makura regretted the inconveniences the report might have caused the public, especially the victims of the attack and the commission investigating the killings.
He added: “This administration will continue to maintain peaceful coexistence among the diverse ethnic groups in the state.
“It will leave no stone unturned to bring the perpetrators and their sponsors to book.

Oduah to Reps: You approved my purchase of security vehicles

There was a stunning revelation on Thursday as the embattled Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, finally appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation investigating the purchase of two BMW 760Li Series bulletproof cars by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.
The suppliers of the controversial cars, bought at a highly inflated cost of N255 million, Coscharis Motors, denied ownership of a particular car with a chassis number completely different from the one it supplied to the NCAA.
During questioning, Coscharis Motors boss, Cosmas Maduka, insisted that what it supplied to NCAA were top notch vehicles, the best available anywhere in the world.
Maduka denied knowledge of any BMW bulletproof vehicle in the possession of NCAA, which bore chassis number DW68032.
He said the cars it delivered to the NCAA had chassis numbers DW68044 and DW68011.
Oduah, who read a prepared speech, apologized to the committee for not attending the hearing last week.
However, she told the committee pointedly that the purchase of two number security vehicles was provided for in the 2013 budget and duly approved by the lawmakers.
Defending the purchase, the Minister told the lawmakers that they approved it in the 2013 budget, saying: “The two numbers security/safety vehicles are provided for distinctively.”
Oduah added: “I draw attention to this fact because of the erroneous belief in some quarters that, because in the course of the NCAA defending its budget proposal for 2013, it had to return to the National Assembly a few times to explain their proposal, therefore, the purchase was never appropriated.
“This may not be totally correct as two numbers security/safety vehicles were provided for.”
She added that it is erroneous to say the cars were purchased by NCAA without following due process as the BPP does not have any guideline for lease financing, which the NCAA engaged in.
She denied directing the NCAA to purchase the cars for her use and also denied ever taking a ride in the vehicles.
The Minister also distanced herself from the claim of the NCAA Director-General, Fola Akinkuotu, who had at a press conference said the vehicles were procured for the minister and international guests’ use during conferences.
Oduah also insisted that the purchase was not out of budgetary approval by the parliament, adding that the 56 vehicles bought by the NCAA was in order as it was backed by the Medium Term Expenditure Framework, which was a planning tool for the budget that extended to 2015.
Speaking specifically on the BMW, the Minister also confirmed that they were not bought outrightly with NCAA’s fund but through a lease agreement.
Justifying the purchase further, Oduah insisted the NCAA is under obligation to take proper care of the security of the Very Important Personalities and other international guests from the aviation sector whenever they visit Nigeria.
While admitting granting approval to the request of the NCAA to purchase the vehicles as required in the memo of request sent to her office, she however said she put a caveat stating: “Approved. Kindly do the needful.”
The Acting Director-General of the NCAA when the transaction took place could not provide convincing answers to all the questions posed to him.
He was evasive on questions bothering on due process and whether the NCAA board approved the purchase prior to seeking ministerial approval.
Also, he could not provide answers to what informed the increase in the number of vehicles approved in the budget from 25 to the eventual 56, which the agency purchased through the loan taken from First Bank.
He however said the bullet-proof cars were part of the various cars in the pool and available for use by the agency.
The chairman of the investigative committee, Hon. Nkiru Onyejeocha, assured Oduah of fairness in its report.
Onyejeocha said all documentary evidences submitted would be taken into consideration.