Minister blows N2b on chartered jets

A Minister may have been spending so much time
in the air that she has wracked up a N2b bill in two
years.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) is being urged to probe how she blew the
cash on chartered jets.
The Minister was reported to the Chairman of
EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, by a whistle-blowing
group, Crusaders for Good Governance (CGG), on
August 13.
In the petition, signed by its representative,
Okechukwu Obiorah Nnamdi, the group said its
alarm against the Minister, who could not be
reached for comments last night, was borne out of
investigation.
The group said its allegations against the Minister
could be verified through the records of the
Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria(FAAN); the
Nigerian Airspace Management Agency(NAMA)
and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority(NCAA).
The petition said: “We are calling your attention to
a monumental act of corruption, abuse of office
and reckless application of public funds by a
minister.
“Our investigation has revealed that the minister
has not only become a liability Nigeria cannot
bear at this time, she has also become a huge
source through which our nation is gradually
bleeding to a slow and painful death.
“Unlike other cabinet ministers, who travel on
commercial( and presidential where applicable)
jets for official assignments, the minister has
taken it upon herself to travel by private jets to all
assignments.
“When the President visited China, she was on the
trip but travelled in a private jet at the cost of
$300,000.
“The same thing happened during Mr. President’s
trip to South Africa; she also travelled in a private
jet at the cost of $300,000.
“Details of her other activities and unwholesome
spending are listed below:
•During Easter break, she flew a private jet to
Dubai with members of her family at the cost of
$300,000.
•A parastatal maintains a private jet, Challenger
850 Visa Jet, at $500,000 monthly for the minister.
•She has never attended any meeting outside the
country in commercial or presidential jets in the
last two years and she has spent over N2billion on
maintaining aircraft in the last two years.
•She is the only minister, who attends events
when the President is travelling, in private jets.
Unlike other ministers, she flies private jets even
when the President is travelling to the same
location.
•She does official jobs in her house; she hardly
goes to office.
•Information from FAAN, NCAA, and NAMA
confirmed that she has never flown commercial
aircraft in the last two years.
•When the President went to China but she did
not go on the presidential jet, she went in a
private jet, further bleeding the national purse.
The group said its allegations could be verified
through the records of aviation agencies, such as
FAAN, NAMA and NCAA.
The petition added: “We are of the view that Mr.
President is not aware of all these atrocious and
reckless spending of the minister. Usually, we
understand that smaller presidential jets are
usually assigned to ministers on official
assignments abroad whenever there is need for
such trips.
“Mr. Chairman, we make bold to ask in good
conscience whether Nigeria’s fragile economy can
afford to carry this financial burden any longer and
that is why we are calling on you to act and
provide the new lease of life for the Nigerian
economy.
“We demand that you carry out thorough
investigation of all the above which are easily
verifiable through the aviation agencies, FAAN,
NAMA and NCAA.
“We want to count on you to save the national
purse of the excessive bleeding, which we believe
is the main reason for the establishment of your
agency.
“We want to however state that our commitment
to this cause will not waiver. We are still
compiling and investigating further details of her
financial dealings and at the right time, we will
organise a world press conference to express
these and other details we are working on.”
When contacted, the Head of Media and Publicity
of EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said: “I cannot
confirm the receipt of the petition until Monday
because petitions do not come directly to my
desk.”