N174bn debt: Group asks Reps to caution Onyejeocha

From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

The House of Representatives has been ask to call to order its Chairman, committee on aviation Nkeiruka Onyejeocha for her perceived criticism of works carried out in the aviation industry under the former minister Stella Oduah.

Onyejeocha was a visible member of the entourage of the elsewhere minister while she held sway and had several forum showered encomium on her performance before making U-turn moment Oduah was eased out by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The director general of Ikenga Award for Excellence Foundation, Mr. Ben Ugwu ask the National Assembly to call the Rep member to order for her recent utterances over the controversial  N255 million bullet proof cars and also an alleged N174 billion debts said to have been accumulated by the aviation ministry for airport remodelling projects.

Ben Ugwu told reporters in Lagos  the “law maker lacks the morale fibre to make spurious allegations against the former minister, when she was part of the agreements signed with the ministry of aviation on some projects that have become controversial.”

Onyejeocha also recently ordered the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA), to return the N255 million bullet proof cars to Coscharis Motors, the supplier of the vehicles purchased for Oduah.

“such call by the lawmaker is another attempt to heat up the system , by somebody who is part of the many activities that characterised Oduah’s tenure in office , including the approval and utilisation of

$60 million from the bilateral air services agreement funds as well as her approval and appropriation for the utilisation of N25 billion for the ministry’s project execution,” he told journalists.

He said the allegation by the law maker that the ministry of aviation accumulated over N174 billion debts during the tenure of Oduah is only a figment of her imagination.

“she was part of, including the signing of the $ 500 million loan secured from China Exim Bank, for which she was In the delegation to Beijing.

This is because it was a master plan which she co-signed with the Senate Committee Chairman on Aviation approving the utilization of $60m from BASA funds. And also conveyed her approval and appropriation for the utilization of BASA funds of N25 Billion Naira for the ministry project execution. Surprising she also denied knowledge of this master plan, yet she traveled to China with the President and the former minister to sign the MOU of the loan”