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Nigeria: Aviation Probe - Usman, Aondoakaa to Testify Today
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This Day (Lagos)
3 July 2008
Posted to the web 3 July 2008
Sufuyan Ojeifo
Abuja
Minister of Finance Shamsuddeen Usman is to testify today at the ongoing investigative public hearing on the N19.5 billion Intervention Fund. Also to testify are Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Michael Aondoakaa (SAN) and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo.
This was made known just as the former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, threw light on why he opened separate accounts in three banks with the N11 billion that was released to the ministry when he was minister by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
A statement signed by Mr Victor Aborisade, the Clerk of the Senate Committee on Aviation, said the men were to explain the warehousing of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) Fund domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Aondoakaa is expected to explain the legal impediments, if any, on why the committee's decision that the management of the BASA account be transferred to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had been ignored.
The decision was reached in January this year, at a consultative meeting with stakeholders in the aviation sector.
"The Accountant-General of the Federation on his part will give details of the money accruing to the BASA Fund from 1999 till date and its expenditures," the statement said.
It said that the matter had become urgent because of the revelation that Nigeria lost more than N1.4 billion interest charges on the N6.5 billion borrowed from a commercial bank to fund the Safe Tower projects at the four international airports.
According to the statement, the Managing Director, Almond Projects Limited, would also testify tomorrpw over the N158.3 million he received as consultancy.
The consultancy was on contracts awarded to the company for the Port Harcourt International Airport and Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.
An eleven-page statement signed by Fani-Kayode, which was made available to the press in Abuja, said an area of concern had been how N6.5 billion was raised by way of loan from from a new generatin bank.
According to him, "The issue was further complicated by the fact that Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) would be the sole beneficiary of the N6.5 billion loan whereas Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), which was another parastatal under the ministry, was now the guarantor and was compelled to be paying about N222 million monthly."
He said this was the concern that led him to set up a Committee under the leadership of Captain Shehu Iyal, who is the Special Assistant to the President on Aviation , to look into the whole issue.
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Fani-Kayode stated that "A number of controversial issues were raised by that Committee", adding, " I then forwarded the Committee's report to President Olusegun Obasanjo, who took further action."
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