Protesters storms the Nigerian Avaition Ministry headquaters seeking the sack of Stella Oduah

Protesters To Storm Aviation
Ministry To Demand Minister's
Removal Over BMW Scandal
October 21, 2013 - 17:14 — siteadmin
By SaharaReporters, New York
After the Anti-Corruption Network (ACN)
today met with the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to
submit a petition requesting a thorough
probe of Aviation Minister Stella Oduah
over her purchase of two armored BMW
760 Li cars worth $1.6 million, Dino
Melaye, a former member of the House
of Representatives, now leader of ACN,
told Saharareporters that his group will
storm the ministry on Wednesday to ask
for the minister's removal.
Mr. Melaye also revealed that the
minister has squandered another sum of
$100 million from the Bilateral Air
Services Agreement (BASA) funds.
He said the planned protest will start
with a convergence at the federal
secretariat in Abuja. The protest will
then mobilize Nigerians to oust the
minister from office.
Mrs. Oduah last August forced a cash
strapped agency under her supervision
to purchase two armored car BMW cars
for her use.
After SaharaReporters revealed the deal,
the Minister’s media aide, Joe Obi,
claimed that she bought the vehicles
because she faced threats from interests
in the aviation sector purportedly
opposed to her reformation agenda.
However, the executive director of ACN
said findings from the police and
security agencies in Nigeria show that
Mrs. Oduah never filed any complaint
about any threat to her life. He further
disclosed that the NCAA was not the
statutory agency responsible for
transporting VIPs traveling in Nigeria,
saying that it was the duty of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the
assistance of the diplomatic protection
unit of the Nigerian police.
Melaye gave several instances of
purchase of vehicles for visiting VIPs that
did not include scandalous purchase or
use of armored vehicles citing the
transportation of head of States of the
Commonwealth as an example, where he
said Messrs Coshcaris Motors Limited
provided BMWs to the federal
government during the regime of
President Olusegun Obasanjo that were
not armored to convey heads of
governments of the commonwealth of
nations 2003.
He also noted that recently, African
Union officials were transported in Abuja
using Peugeot 607 vehicles that were
not armored.
Challenging the NCAA to reveal the
source of the funds used in buying the
vehicles, Melaye said everything
involving the purchase was criminal and
violated Nigeria's appropriation laws
and due process.
He therefore called on Nigerians to join
the ACN massively on Wednesday to
force the minister out of office. All
those willing to participate are to
contact either Dino Melaye on
08033146905; Ebenezer Oyetakin or
08037861193, or email