Minister needs N255 million cars to protect her life from external threats – Spokesman

The spokesman for the
Aviation ministry, Mr. Joe obi, has said that
indeed the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
(NCAA) purchased two state-of-the-art
bulletproof BMW sedans at a cost of $1.6 m
(N255 million) from Coscharis motors,
Lagos for onward delivery to the Aviation
minister, Princess Stella Oduah.
He said the luxury cars, acquired in August,
were needed for the minister’s security as
the transformation work she was executing
in the aviation industry had caused her life
to come under danger.
He said, “Yes, it is true that some security
vehicles were procured for the use of the
office of the honourable minister in
response to the clear and imminent threat
to her personal security and life following
the bold steps she took to reposition the
sector.
“When she came on board as the minister,
she inherited a lot of baggage in terms of
the concession and lease agreements in the
sector, which were clearly not in the
interest of the government and people of
Nigeria.
“And so, she took bold steps and some of
these agreements were reviewed and some
were terminated, and these moves
disturbed some entrenched interests in the
sector, and within this period, she began to
receive some imminent threats to her life;
therefore, the need for the vehicles.
“It should be noted that these vehicles are
not personal vehicles and were not
procured in the name of the honourable
minister; they are utility vehicles and are
for the office of the minister, and if she
leaves the office, she will not be taking the
vehicles along with her.”
The NCAA had come under fire due to the
fact that it is directly responsibly for
overseeing the airline operators in the
country and yet two plane crashes have
occurred under its watch. Industry insiders
had said that the NCAA was cash strapped
and some of its employees receive financial
inducements in order to allow unsafe
aircrafts to fly.