Air Nigeria: APC Chieftain urges EFCC to investigate ex-Aviation Minister, others
A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress ( APC), Dr Haruna Gololo, has urged Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) to investigate immediate past Minister of Aviation over unpleasant discoveries on purported lunch of Nigeria Air aircraft.
Gololo made the call while addressing a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
He was reacting to the disclosure by the Acting Managing Director of Nigeria Air, Capt Dapo Olumide at an investigative hearing of Senate Committee on Aviation over the state of Nigeria Air project.
Olumide had disclosed at the investigative hearing that the supposed Nigeria Air aircraft that flew in with logo of the airline was chartered from Ethiopian Airline for the purpose of unveiling the logo.
He also disclosed that the airline was yet to secure an operating licence for full flight operations, contrary to submission of the past minister of aviation on the Air Nigeria.
Olumide had told the Senate committee that the aircraft was used pending the completion of the processes required for the operation of the airline.
Gololo, however, said: ”we are giving the EFCC two weeks to arrest and investigate the former Minister of Aviation and other key participants in the former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.”
He said if the EFCC could go after “Yahoo Boys,” for alleged scam, the anti- graft agency could as well go after the government officials for alleged monumental fraud .
” Only yesterday the Senate Committee Aviation confirmed the fear and suspicion of many Nigerians, when it unearthed the issues in the aviation sector by the immediate past minister, on indicating that procurement of Nigeria Air was a scam which gulped billions of tax payers fund”
Gololo, who was Coordinator of the North-East Tinubu, Shettima supporters group during the general elections said further:
“What happened to the M11.3 trillion spent on the Turn Around Maintenance ( TAM), of the Kaduna, Warri and Porthacourt refineries.
” But today the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, who awarded the contracts has gone to run for governorship election to seek immunity.
“There are several other MDAs that were looted under Buhari’s administration.”
He expressed displeasure on the appointment of the new Executive Director of Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA)by the out -gone administration, saying that the appointee was in NNPC while refineries remained unfuctional.
