N255m cars: FG begins probe to fish out officials who leaked information

The Ministry of Aviation has set up an “unofficial probe team” to get the identities of those who leaked information on the purchase of two BMW 760 Li HSS cars by Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, Stillonstill.blogspot.com has learnt.

The search, it was gathered, has been narrowed down to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
However, staff of other agencies, including the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), will also be questioned for any possible link.

Since the news broke out, several individuals and groups have called for the sack of Ms. Oduah for choosing to stifle an agency which insiders say is cash strapped.

But rather than take a stand on what action it intends to take, the presidency has given conflicting reactions. On one hand, it claims the story would be probed, even as it also maintains that such details should not have been allowed to get into the media in the first place.

An official in one of the agencies in the sector told stillonstill.blogspot.com in Abuja that the federal government is keen on apprehending the “mole”.

“They will not relent until they pick up the person. I can tell you that officials from the Ministry have been coming. You will think they are looking for the Boko Haram guys.

“It’s an in-house thing. They are not using any security agency, more like an unofficial probe.”

When asked what punishment such officials should expect if found out, he said “They may send them on a course or something like that, so Nigerians would not say they were fired immediately.

“But I believe that is what the result would be at the end of the day. Government will wield the big stick sooner or later” our source said.

News of the purchase comes at a time the NCAA is said to be in debt. It was revealed that the luxury cars were bought on credit from Coscharis Auto Company, while First Bank Plc stood as a guarantor for the agency.

An indication that the Federal Government may sweep the matter under the carpet emerged, when the Director General of the NCAA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu, apparently to save his job, announced plans to launch an investigation to unravel those behind the official information leakage.

Akinkuotu while speaking at a press conference in Abuja described the information leakage as criminal, saying the action posed danger to a sensitive government agency like the NCAA.

Already, some workers believe the probe would be used to weed out innocent staff perceived as “renegades”.

A support staff at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, who also spoke, lamented the cover-up surrounding the scandal.

“You see they won’t touch this woman. She will go free. Instead of calling spade a spade, they are about to victimise people who took the courage to expose corruption.”

“I won’t be surprised if they sack up to dozens. They fear that a repeat of this matter may occur in future. It is clear to everyone that the plan now is: “Let’s dismiss those that are disloyal”, he said.