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.