Questionable Pretences Of The Aviation Minister, Adaeze-Oduah!

by Lateef Lawal

(WireNews+Co) - Lagos, Nigeria - 29 May 2012

Prior to today's democracy day celebration cum one year in office of the Goodluck Jonathan's Federal Administration in Nigeria, some of the activities embarked  upon to showcase the achievements of the government was the briefings by different members of the Cabinet highlighting the milestone of the Ministry(ies) under their supervision.

To highlight achievements at whatever level is to simply put, say nothing else but the truth to the public. But when a Minister begins to roll out false attributions, then the credibility of the Minister should be called to question. This is the position with the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella  Adaeze-Oduah.

The underlisted are part of what the Minister rolled out as achievements  in the past one year in key agencies of the Ministry, such as the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority(NCAA), NigerianAirspace Management Agency(NAMA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET): 

Implementation of the new Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulation that meet ICAO requirements;

--  Accomplishment of ICAO Safety and Security follow-up Audits;

--  Re-certification of the entire industry – Airlines,  Airports, Aircraft and Aviation Safety Personnel;

SAFETY REGULATIONS AND SYSTEMS

Closer surveillance of foreign and domestic carriers

--  Installed Aircraft Tracking System to improve Search and Rescue Capability.

COMPLETED SAFETY-RELATED PROJECTS

--  New control tower and the installation of equipments  at Kano,Enugu and Owerri airports;

--  Runway resurfacing at Calabar; Ibadan, Maiduguri, Sokoto and Enugu (plus extension) Airports

--  Installation of Low Level Wind Shear Alert Systems (LLWAS) at Lagos, Kano and Port-Harcourt airports

--  Doppler Weather RADAR at Abuja airport;

--  Integrated Aviation Weather Observation & Display System (AWODS) at MMIA , Lagos

-- Total Very High Frequency (VHF) coverage in Kano

--  The World Geodetic Survey (WGS 84) for Performance Based Air Navigation System Approaches ;

--  Alternative Energy Source (Solar Power) to Navigational Aids in Six sites at Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Bida , Port Harcourt & Enugu;

--  NIMET North East Zonal Office Building, Maiduguri.

COMPLETED DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR @ ABUJA SECURITY

Within the period under review, the Ministry introduced new Security strategy designed to adequately respond to current security challenges. These include:

A. Restructured airport security systems to facilitate communication, coordination, Intelligence gathering and surveillance through linkages and collaboration with International, Federal and State Law Enforcement Agencies;

B. Procurement of state-of-the-art security equipment such as intrusion detection systems, closed circuit television cameras, baggage and passenger screening equipment, explosive and narcotics detection equipment;

C. Continuous intensified training of aviation security  personnel to international standards; 

D. Constructing perimeter  and operations area fencing for airports.

From the above listed ''achievements'' and as a very close observer of the industry, all of these milestone were achieved before the appointment of Princess Stella Adaeze-Oduah as Aviation Minister by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in July 2011.

 For example,the World Geodetic Survey (WGS 84) for Performance Based Air Navigation System Approaches listed above can and should never have been listed as part of her achievements. IATA, which was the contractor for the project completed and submit the survey in January, 2010 , a clear eighteen months preceeding the appointment of Princess Adaeze-Oduah. The story of the submission was published in the NigerianAviationNews on-line on 27,January, 2010. This is the truth. If that is the unadultrated truth,then why should a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria fed the public with falsehood?

The Doppler Weather Radar is another.It had been budgeted for and procured before the appointment of the current Minister not to talk of the low level wind shear and several others that were already in place before her coming to the Ministry of Aviation.

Even the much touted Airports Re-modelling was not her baby! It had been planned by the previous administration of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) awaiting final nod for implementation from the Federal Executive Council. We are also aware of various controversies already generated with the implementation of the re-modelling project.

In carrying out the project, it was established that the Minister breached the Public Procurement Act on contract execution. The Minister must explain whether or not advertisement was placed for the project in national dailies and the Federal Tenders Journal as required by law? Was there a tenders board meeting prior to the award of contracts to 14 contractors and 3 consultants. Was there appropriation before payments were made to all the contractors same day. For example how come the following actions carried out same day-that is-Tenders Board Meeting,(If there was one anyway), Letter of Contract Award, Job Completion andMandate to Bank/Payment, all carried out same day,23-12-2011. What is the link, if any between Afro Media, the Ministry and the funding of the re-modelling project?

More questions that needed to be clarified by the Minister of Aviation.

The truth must be unearthed!

Aviation Journalist, Publishes NigerianAviationNews online. Can be assessed by logging in to: http://nigerianaviationnews.blogspot.com (http://nigerianaviationnews.blogspot.com).