ODUAH CARS PROBE REPORT IS ON MY TABLE, JONATHAN SAYS

President Goodluck Jonathan has said the report by a three-man committee which investigated his aviation minister for authorising the purchase of two bulletproof cars that cost the government N155 million is on his table.
The 2013 national budget has approved N240 million for NCAA for the purchase of 27 operational vehicles but the minister, Stella Oduah, singlehandedly raised the amount to N643 million for 54 vehicles, including two bulletproof cars.
When the scandal broke the House of Representatives launched an investigation and the story soon became more complicated at committee hearing.
First no bulletproof cars are approved in the budget; secondly, the ministry of finance granted N10 million waivers on the cars because official papers showed they were ordered in the name of Lagos state government a claim promptly refuted by the state government.
Again committee members who went on inspection could not clearly identify the cars because the cars bear different chassis numbers with that on the documents presented.
The scandal soon gripped the attention of the nation and the President followed up on the House probe by setting up an investigation of his own. The three-man panel was headed by for head of service Isa Bello Sali and it also included the National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki.
Speaking to reporters yesterday on arrival at the Abuja Airport the President said he had received the report of the administrative panel of inquiry set up to investigate Oduah.
The president was, however, silent on the content of the report. He simply said: “The committee I set up, they have submitted the report.”
Jonathan, who was expected to hold a crises meeting with seven estrange governors of his party said the meeting would no longer hold because he was exhausted.
“I don’t think I will be able to hold any meeting tonight, you know six hours flight is quite a distance and also following from my health challenges but we will meet. I don’t know (how soon the meeting will hold). I’m just coming in. I believe within the week, we’ll be able to meet.”
Speaking further, Jonathan confirmed that his health challenges that prevented him from attending the opening session of the meeting in London last Thursday were real.
According to him, “The most important thing is that I am back. You will expect that when you are holding a political office as the president of a country, anything that affects you attract a lot of attention. So that when the president is sick even if you don’t know the ailment, definitely it will cause apprehension.
“I have to thank Nigerians and especially on the issue of my health. I really had some health challenges. I have to thank God again because the concern shown by Nigerians and the love. Thank God that I am very okay to resume work I believe from this night.”
Source: Daily Trust