Home Ezekwesili, Melaye others slam Oduah over N255m cars OCTOBER 18, 2013 BY TEMITAYO FAMUTIMI 4 Comments The news that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority acquired two bulletproof vehicles worth $1.6m (N255m) for the Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, provoked public outrage on Thursday. Oduah had been a subject of severe public criticism for describing the two major air crashes that have occurred under her watch as “inevitable acts of God.” The embattled minister was said to have mandated the NCAA, an agency under her supervision, to procure the two black BMW 760 Li HSS vehicles for her. Oduah, speaking through her Special Assistant (Media), Mr. Joe Obi, said the vehicles were acquired to protect her from imminent external threats. This justification, however, failed to hold water, as Nigerians berated her for this action. In various tweets and Facebook posts, many Nigerians wondered how the NCAA had suddenly become the procurement unit of the Ministry of Aviation just as they demanded that the Presidency swing into action and punish everyone found wanting. A former Minister of Education, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, in a veiled reference to the development, described it as “obscene luxury.” The former Vice-President (Africa) of the World Bank said in a post on her Twitter page that it was wrong for those at the helms of affairs to draw heavily on public funds while in government. Arguing that such extravagance in government was uncalled for, Ezekwesili said despite facing “greater threats” when she held sway as the head of the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit of the Presidency, compared with Oduah’s, she didn’t acquire expensive cars at public expense. In a series of tweets, she wrote, “At the Ministry of Education, my car was called the ‘shopping car’ of my predecessor and indeed it was. In the Ministry of Solid Minerals, my car was a well worn Jeep that they called my predecessor’s ‘political travels jeep.’ “Neither as Head of the Due Process office and Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative nor as Minister of Solid Minerals and later Education, did one wallow in some obscene luxury. Never! “There was no greater threat than the daily ones I faced but refused to dignify as initiator and implementer of due process in public contracts. If I did not bear much cost to serve in government, one could rightly assume that public service is a land flowing with milk and honey.” A former member of the House of Representatives and Executive Secretary, Anti-Corruption Network, Dino Melaye, said the actions of Oduah bore the hallmarks of “recklessness and wastage.” Melaye, who accused Oduah of corruption and abuse of office, said on Twitter that the two bulletproof cars he owns – a BMW and a Land cruiser jeep – both cost about N100 million, adding that the minister has no moral justification to acquire hers at N255m. He said, “It has never been this bad. This government, through the action of the minister of aviation, has further confirmed the wastage and recklessness that have become its hallmark. In a country where the Academic Staff Union of Universities is on strike, poverty everywhere, a minister has the effrontery to buy two bulletproof cars with tax payers’ money. “With this naked robbery, how can you tell ASUU that government doesn’t have money? I have two bulletproof cars, B7 grade. One BMW and a Land cruiser jeep, both cost about N100million. Where did she buy her own, abeg? The National Assembly must tell us if those cars were appropriated for? “How did the Due Process office allow this purchase? The docility of the youth and masses fans the ember of corruption in Nigeria.” Winner of the Economics and Business Awards category of the 2013 CNN/ MultiChoice African Journalist of the Year Award, Tolu Ogunlesi, said prioritising the acquisition of two bulletproof cars at the cost of N255m is an “overwhelming act of foolishness and irresponsibility.” Ogunlesi, who is also a political blogger, said he is “pissed off” by Oduah’s action and argued that even United States President Barack Obama’s official limo — ‘The Beast’ — as well as British Prime Minister’s official Jaguar costs far less than what Oduah acquired. He tweeted, “The Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos is a cattle market. But someone thinks the priority is to spend $1.6m on two cars. This woman thinks fatal plane crashes are an act of God, but doesn’t think the same of death threats against her. Interesting! Do we need a psychiatrist? “You don’t need to be an activist to be pissed off with Stella Oduah and this overwhelming act of foolishness and irresponsibility. Barack Obama’s official limo — ‘The Beast’ — reportedly costs about $ 300,000. David Cameron’s official Jaguar (terrorist-proof) reportedly cost about £200,000. Even then the Brits are complaining. “How then does a Nigerian Minister use a $ 750k on one official car? I’m not saying she shouldn’t buy armoured cars; public officials in Nigeria need all the security they can get, but the issue is $1.5m on two cars in a country where the planes and airports run on luck pisses one off big time.” Popular blogger, Japheth Omojuwa, joined many other prolific Twitter users in calling for the immediate sacking of the aviation minister. Omojuwa said, “Congratulations to Princess Oduah. Having your country buy two cars of N255 million for you shows you are a great daughter of the land. Only someone who eats directly or indirectly from the government and the minister in question will dare defend this evil. There are ministers and there are ministers, there are ministers that Jonathan can sack and there are ministers above him and the law.”
Posted on: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 06:35:56 +0000