A group, Concerned Independent
Aviation Observers, CIAO, has said that there was
budgetary allocation for the purchase of two
armoured vehicles by the Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority, NCAA, which was approved by the
National Assembly. According to the group, the purchase of the
controversial cars, which is now a subject of the
administrative panel of enquiry by the Federal
Government, followed due process as it was
captured in the 2013 Capital Expenditure budget
of the NCAA approved by the National Assembly. The group said the Chairman, Senate Committee
on Aviation, Senator Hope Uzodima, and his
counterpart in the House of Representatives, Hon.
Nkiruka Onyejeocha, signed the NCAA’s capital
expenditure, which contained the request for the
Operational Vehicles. The National Coordinator of CIAO, Dr. Michael
Aburime, in a statement explained that the
National Assembly approved the purchase of 25
operational vehicles for N240,000,000, out of
which the controversial armoured cars are only
two. Aburime said the armoured cars are not for the
Aviation Minister par se, but for the “operational
and safety/security needs of NCAA, especially for
hosting international regulatory aviation officers
on official visits to Nigeria.” He also said that due to paucity of funds, the
NCAA did not engage in outright purchase of the
vehicles like other government agencies but
adopted lease financing to procure 52 vehicles. According to him, “the lease financing in the
NCAA was financed by First Bank Plc at monthly
payment of N23,249,181. And for the 2013
expenditure, about N116,245, 905 would be paid.
From the brief detail above, it becomes obvious
that the NCAA did not actually pay such bogus amount of money being alleged and bandied
about in public discourse by uninformed people. “In fact, the transaction NCAA entered into is
N123,754,095 less than the approved amount, as
contained in ‘NCAA Capital Expenditure for 2013’.”
He argued that rather than being vilified, the NCAA
should be commended for demonstrating
understanding of project financing and management. “It is standard practice for public agencies like
NCAA to purchase operational and administrative
vehicles. So, what the NCAA did is not something
exceptional. All public agencies do purchase
operational vehicles and NCAA has only done the
statutory thing by following due process in getting the National Assembly approval and
making the process transparent by spreading the
payments over time through lease financing.” Aburime said the lesson from the purported
purchase scandal is for the whole truth to come
to the public glare. “We do not see any act of
impropriety in the NCAA car purchase that should
warrant the volley of indignation and
vituperations that have erupted in the public space. NCAA is also an important member of
various global aviation associations whose
members do visit Nigeria periodically to verify and
approve our civil aviation standards,” he added.
Aviation Observers, CIAO, has said that there was
budgetary allocation for the purchase of two
armoured vehicles by the Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority, NCAA, which was approved by the
National Assembly. According to the group, the purchase of the
controversial cars, which is now a subject of the
administrative panel of enquiry by the Federal
Government, followed due process as it was
captured in the 2013 Capital Expenditure budget
of the NCAA approved by the National Assembly. The group said the Chairman, Senate Committee
on Aviation, Senator Hope Uzodima, and his
counterpart in the House of Representatives, Hon.
Nkiruka Onyejeocha, signed the NCAA’s capital
expenditure, which contained the request for the
Operational Vehicles. The National Coordinator of CIAO, Dr. Michael
Aburime, in a statement explained that the
National Assembly approved the purchase of 25
operational vehicles for N240,000,000, out of
which the controversial armoured cars are only
two. Aburime said the armoured cars are not for the
Aviation Minister par se, but for the “operational
and safety/security needs of NCAA, especially for
hosting international regulatory aviation officers
on official visits to Nigeria.” He also said that due to paucity of funds, the
NCAA did not engage in outright purchase of the
vehicles like other government agencies but
adopted lease financing to procure 52 vehicles. According to him, “the lease financing in the
NCAA was financed by First Bank Plc at monthly
payment of N23,249,181. And for the 2013
expenditure, about N116,245, 905 would be paid.
From the brief detail above, it becomes obvious
that the NCAA did not actually pay such bogus amount of money being alleged and bandied
about in public discourse by uninformed people. “In fact, the transaction NCAA entered into is
N123,754,095 less than the approved amount, as
contained in ‘NCAA Capital Expenditure for 2013’.”
He argued that rather than being vilified, the NCAA
should be commended for demonstrating
understanding of project financing and management. “It is standard practice for public agencies like
NCAA to purchase operational and administrative
vehicles. So, what the NCAA did is not something
exceptional. All public agencies do purchase
operational vehicles and NCAA has only done the
statutory thing by following due process in getting the National Assembly approval and
making the process transparent by spreading the
payments over time through lease financing.” Aburime said the lesson from the purported
purchase scandal is for the whole truth to come
to the public glare. “We do not see any act of
impropriety in the NCAA car purchase that should
warrant the volley of indignation and
vituperations that have erupted in the public space. NCAA is also an important member of
various global aviation associations whose
members do visit Nigeria periodically to verify and
approve our civil aviation standards,” he added.
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