allAfrica.com: Nigeria: I Am Ready for Probe

Former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar yesterday said he would honour the invitation of the House of Representatives probing the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP).

In another development, the Senate resolved yesterday to probe the N19.5 billion aviation intervention fund allegedly diverted during the Obasanjo Administration.

Atiku, who chaired the NIPP committee, said he will appear before the probe panel, even as he maintained that he has no meaningful information to give the lawmakers because he was sidelined as chairman of the committee.

The House Committee on Power and Steel chaired by Hon Godwin Ndudi Elumelu had on Tuesday summoned former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his former deputy, Alhaji Abubakar to appear before it to make clarifications on the NIPP contract awards.

Atiku in a letter he wrote to the committee said although he has nothing to tell the panel, he would still appear before it as a mark of respect for the legislature.

The letter which was signed by his media aide, Abdullahi Nyako reads in part : "I have been directed by the former Vice President, H.E. Atiku Abubakar (GCON) to acknowledge receipt of your letter with reference number HR3/CT.47/26/Vol. 1/104 dated 3rd May 2008 and received on 6th May 2008.

"Although the former Vice President has maintained that he has little or nothing to offer on the subject of the public hearing, he would still appear before the Committee as requested as a mark of respect for the legislature.

"H.E. Atiku Abubakar who is currently out of the country on some private engagements, has commenced the process of securing an early booking to enable him arrive the country before Monday 12th May, 2008."

The former number two citizen had told reporters last month that his appearance before the House panel would be a mere waste of time since he has no insider's information to offer to the committee.

Atiku said although he was appointed chairman of the NIPP committee, counter-directive was given to the members of the committee not to attend meetings with him presiding.

Similarly, the Senate yesterday mandated its Committee on Aviation to carry out a thorough investigation, through a public hearing on the disbursement and utilisation of the N19.5 billion intervention fund released by the Federal Government in 2006 for the rehabilitation and development of infrastructure in the aviation industry.

The Senate also urged the government to "urgently come out with strategic master plan for the development and growth of the aviation industry."

The master plan, the Senate said, should cover physical development of Nigeria so as to avoid more aviation disasters in the country.

Following the submission of the report by the chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation by Senator Anyim Ude, the committee had observed that "there were weighty allegations of the improper use of N19. 5 billion the Federal Government released in 2006 as infrastructure fund for the rehabilitation and development of infrastructure in the industry."

Senate president David Mark had challenged the committee that they must take their oversight function seriously to avert further air mishaps in the country.

"Your committee must be up and doing and take your oversight function very seriously to avert further air disasters," Mark told them.

The issue of the N19. 5 billion became contentious when the Senate committee met with members of the aviation industry behind closed doors and they started trading blames rather than telling the Senate how the money was spent.

Also, conflicting reports of lodgement of money in UBA and a counter- directive from the former minister of aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode to use Zenith Bank which resulted in unsolved problems in the industry all arose.

In the presentation of the report of the 12-member committee, Senator Ude told the Senate that from their investigation"there was no strategic master plan in Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria for the upgrading and development of Nigerian airports and that out of the 22 airports in the country, only four are generating enough fund and the funds so generated from the four airports are being used to run the other airports, most of which NAMA said have been handed over to their state governments to run."

Ude also told the Senate that they equally found out that the communication equipment at most of the Nigerian airports were old and obsolete, thus making it unsafe for flying and that our air traffic controllers had not been properly trained to manage the new total radar coverage of Nigerian airspace TRACON project which were already being installed in four airports.

Subsequently, he said, Nigeria Airspace Management Agency, NIMASA was presently losing a lot of revenue because many airlines were avoiding Nigerian airspace because the radio and communication equipment in our airport were below international standard.

He also revealed that Nigeria had only two air control centres at Kano and in Lagos making all other airports to depend on these two.

Also yesterday, the bill for an Act to provide for the establishment of the Nigerian Space Research and Development Agency presented by Senate leader Teslim Folarin passed second reading on the floor of the Senate.

The bill which was hailed by Senator Jibril Aminu and Mamora that Nigeria being the giant of Africa can only carry her shoulders high through scientific and technological exploits was equally hailed by Senate president David Mark who described it as"an excellent bill," but that "my fear is if we have the political will, we have the manpower all over the world, but let's not go and waste money by starting and abandoning it halfway. When air scientists are brought home, they must be funded properly to do what they know how to do best," Mark stated.

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