Presidency Moves To Probe N7.5 Billion Airports Remodel Projects!

The Presidency may have begun moves to initiate a thorough investigation into the N7.5 Billion contracts for the remodeling of major airports across the country initiated and executed by embattled Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah.

The Airport Remodeling Contracts was awarded to: Trenur Nigeria Ltd, Archvisual Solution Ltd, Mesh Projects Ltd, Paache Construction, ARDC Ltd, and Ogbosite International Ltd among others.

This is coming barely 24 hours after President Goodluck Jonathan constituted an administrative panel to probe the controversial Minister of Aviation over the scandalous purchase of two BMW 7 Armored series at N255 million.

A major source of concern for the Presidency is the remodeled Contract of the Benin Airport, allegedly awarded to the son of the Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, which has been described by aviation experts as one of the worst projects in the history of aviation development globally.

The presidency is particularly miffed by deluge of petitions before Nigeria’s anti graft bodies including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission ICPC and others, detailing scandalous allegations of over inflated contract deals involving the repairs of major airports.

Part of the petition according to pointblanknews.com, an Aviation group alleged “For example, Zakhem Construction Nig. Ltd was awarded the contract for upgrade of MMIA Lagos in the 1st phase at the sum of N920, 191, 147.58. Curiously, same company was awarded another contract in the tune of N981, 900,300.45 for ‘upgrade and rehabilitation’ of MMIA Lagos, under a spurious banner of Phase II.” According to the petition, “the entire Phase II is sheer duplication of Phase I.”

The petition currently being studied also alleged that “Messrs Ngonyama Okpanum and Associates; Messrs Design Union Consulting Ltd and Messrs Triad Associates Ltd were awarded contracts for consultancy works on the upgrade of the airports at the sums of N99, 179,507.17; N60, 986,730.46 and N95, 520,011.93 respectively without advertisement, certificate of No Objection from the BPP or approval by the tender’s board,” the union stated.

Another petition alleged “For instance, a contract on the provision of ‘new security strategies for airports’, N6.247 billion was paid already from the contract sum of N9 billion.

It is alleged that many Government agencies including the Aviation Ministry are using the ‘No Objection Certificate’ given by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to issue contracts of over N20 billion without advertising them, once they write to the BPP, which allows for selective tendering.

Sources disclosed that  some of the corrupt practices allegedly perpetrated under the nose and with the active connivance of  Oduah includes the illegal conversion of over N390million revenue of FAAN for “renovation of toilets at the Murtalla Mohammed International Airport MMIA”

Other scams are N40 Billion airport remodeling programme, her per project, which has no budgetary provision, N228 million approved for the service of two power generating sets, N140 Million approved, and collected for staff training that never held, and an alleged N1billion lodged under phony circumstances at Chase Bank.

The anger of the Benin airport according to a petition signed by Comrade Odigie Momoh for  Edo Integrity Group, is hinged on concerns that the contractors are not qualified and have no basic record of similar projects, to handle any aviation related jobs.

“We demand an end to mediocrity and patronage. What we have at the remodeled Benin Airport is a sham, a scam of the highest level and a disgrace in the Aviation industry.”

“We demand that all the Airport remodeling projects in the country particularly the Benin Airport be thoroughly investigated and anyone found culpable be prosecuted including the son of the Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe who we know got the contract,” Momoh of the Edo Integrity Group said in the statement. Pointblanknews.com report.