Barely six hours after President Goodluck Jonathan set up a three- member committee to investigate the N255m bulletproof car scandal involving the Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, prominent Nigerians and the Nigeria Labour Congress have accused the Presidency of a cover-up plan. They hinged their belief on two factors: the failure of Jonathan to sack the minister and the permission granted her to travel to Israel. Oduah, who was absent from the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, was said to have travelled to Tel Aviv on Tuesday. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, had said that Oduah was part of Jonathan’s advance team to Israel. The President left Abuja on Wednesday night for Israel in company with a retinue of top government officials, including the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, who is also a member of the committee to investigate Oduah. This led to side remarks in government circles and among some Nigerians that Oduah would have a better opportunity to further explain her role in the scandal to Jonathan and Dasuki. The prominent Nigerians and groups who described the presidential committee as a smokescreen are Babafemi Ojudu, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, Mr. Femi Falana and Mr. Monday Ubani. Ojudu described the panel as a wild goose chase, another waste of time and dubious waste of the nation’s resources. In a statement in Abuja, he wondered why the President set up “the committee which coloration already tells a lot about the conclusions it would reach.” He argued that the committee would usurp the powers of anti-corruption agencies which are constitutionally empowered to carry out such investigations and make their reports available to the President. The Senator said, “This is in spite of the unassailable fact that no existing record shows that the provision for the purchase of the cars was made in the NCAA budget or that of the Aviation ministry. “Out of nowhere, Oduah, without budgetary provision, had an agency under the supervision of her ministry buy cars for her. This, no doubt, has upped the sad comedy going on in the Jonathan administration’s theatre of the absurd.” Ojudu argued that what Jonathan did showed that he had no desire to allow a proper investigation of the allegations against the minister, who played a pivotal role in his electoral victory in 2011. Mohammed,who is the Convener of the Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, told one of our correspondents in Abuja, that there was something “sinister” about the whole affair. He argued that the decision of Jonathan to allow Oduah to travel out of the country at the height of the scandal spoke volumes about his personality. Junaid said the minister would not have had the confidence to even be involved in such malfeasance without the tacit support of the President. He said, “There is something sinister about this whole thing. An attempt at a cover-up if you ask me. The woman couldn’t have travelled to Israel without the approval of the President. “Ministers don’t travel out of the country without the approval of the President; he couldn’t have done that without realising that her presence in such an international gathering; in a bilateral manner was going to be a source of embarrassment to the country and the Presidency. “The woman must have done what she did based on the personal relationship she has with the President.” Also, Falana told one of our correspondents that by travelling to Israel where Oduah was attending a function, the President “ had shown insensitivity and endorsed the gross impunity associated with the Oduahgate.” The Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human rights lawyer argued that investigating such a scandal was an exclusive responsibility of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Falana said, “The Security Adviser has no statutory power to investigate fraud, contract inflation, official corruption and abuse of office. “The investigation of economic and financial crimes in Nigeria is the exclusive responsibility of the EFCC. Last week, I submitted a petition on this issue to the EFCC. The panel that has been set up is defined to overreach the EFCC and cover-up this monumental scandal. “Right now, the Minister is in Israel; the President has also gone to Israel, apparently to pray for Nigeria. This act by itself has shown the insensitivity of the President.” Ubani, who is the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja branch, said the probe panel was diversionary. He argued that the step taken by the President was a departure from what ought to have been the proper procedure. Proper procedure, according to him, is for the President to suspend Oduah to give room for a “comprehensive investigation” of the scandal. “So, the setting up of the panel by the President at this point in time is diversionary. “They know that by the time they come back from Israel , the level of criticism and agitation for her sacking would have gone down and as usual, the case would naturally be swept under the carpet.” Ubani pointed out that it would be “ difficult to get any result from this particular panel, more so, that the woman was the one that did Neighbour2Neighbour campaign for Jonathan.” On its part, the NLC demanded the prosecution of the minister over the scandal. Its President, Mr. Abdulwahed Omar, and Acting Secretary, Mr. Chris Uyot, said Oduah must be brought to justice without delay. This position was contained in a statement issued at the end of the NLC National Executive Committee meeting in Kaduna on Wednesday. It said that everything, including the price and the reasons given for the purchase of the two bulletproof vehicles were in conflict with transparency and good conscience. The communiqué reads in part, “NEC-in-Session condemns in strong terms, the scandalous purchase of bulletproof cars by Oduah. “Neither the process nor the price nor even the reason for the purchase satisfies transparency or good conscience, especially at this point in time when government is increasingly unable to meet its basic obligations to the citizenry. “The minister should therefore be called to account. Accordingly, NEC calls for the immediate probe of the minister.” However, another SAN, Prof. Itsay Sagay, said with the availability of overwhelming evidence already in the public domain, it would be difficult for the scandal to be swept under the carpet. Sagay said, “Well, I won’t jump to conclusion, particularly when one is aware that the House of Representatives is also probing the matter. The whole thing is in the public domain. “So, I don’t see how anyone can hide this one. It is not capable of being swept under the carpet.” But the Presidency dismissed allegations that the committee was meant to be a cover-up. It therefore advised Nigerians not to politicise the probe which, it said, was borne out of the President’s genuine desire to get to the root of the matter.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 08:44:22 +0000
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