In December 2010, the Federal Executive Council of Nigeria granted approval to a request by the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria to purchase two Bell 206 L-4 helicopters for the training of student pilots. Subsequently, on the 29th of December, 2010, one Engr Audu Ali, then head of NCAT’s Procurement Unit, wrote Messrs Bell Helicopters, Textron of the United States of America (USA), intimating them about the development through a letter with reference number: NCAT.../244/DEC/Vol. 1/110.
According to the letter, a copy of which is in possession of Weekly Trust, the two helicopters were to be purchased at the rate of $7,013,460 “exclusive of taxes and other charges in Nigeria.” A total of N1.04bn, which was the equivalent of the $7,013,460 at the exchange rate of N149.39 to $1, was eventually paid in segments.
The suppliers of the aircrafts, through their agents, Africair Inc, confirmed the supply of the helicopters to the then Rector of NCAT, Captain Adebayo Araba, via a letter dated 21st March, 2011.
“We confirm that we are currently working in conjunction with Manyatta Engineering Services Ltd on the sale of the two Bell 206 L-4 Longranger helicopters to the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria to be used for training purposes at the Flight Training College in Zaria,” part of the letter reads.
Investigation by Weekly Trust also shows that NCAT had, in anticipation of the two airplanes, recruited two instructors – Gyang Markus and Tunde Coker Abayomi – that would be training students who want to specialise on helicopters.
But after taking delivery of the helicopters in 2012 at the Murtala Muhammad Airport, Lagos, NCAT leased them out to a private company in May this year, a development that led the one of the two helicopter instructors/pilots to leave the college after a year of idleness, Weekly Trust heard.
“One of them [the instructors] has resigned and one has taken leave, perhaps to pursue other things. They have been idle here for over a year and you know pilots don’t want to stay idle, as their flying hours seriously count in their experience, promotion and other flying matters,” a source at the college said.
Speaking further, he said: “The helicopters were bought for the college by the federal government during the days of Captain Araba. They were delivered during the tenure of the present rector. But where are they? They are not physically in Zaria. You can go into the college and see for yourself if there are any helicopters. They are only in Zaria on paper and perhaps on some peoples’ lips.
“Those helicopters were never allowed to cross River Niger. They were leased to a company in Lagos as soon as they arrived in Nigeria. They are just making brisk business with the college’s properties and we don’t know where the money is going.”
The source added that the claim that the helicopters cannot be used for pilot training because of their “cost and sophistication” is not true because “the college is using more sophisticated planes for training of students, and these planes are called TBM-850 that were procured during the reign of Captain Araba as Rector of NCAT.”
Meanwhile, apart from the issue of leasing out the helicopters against their original intention, the Auditor General of the Federation had in a report dated 15th April, 2013 queried the “irregularities” that took place during the procurement process of the two helicopters.
The report, with reference number OAuGF/P&PAD/NCAT/08, a copy of which is in possession of Weekly Trust, signed by one Ajao A. O., Director (P&PAD), said the office of the Auditor General cannot accept that N280,934,617.50 has been legally expended during the purchase of the two helicopters.
The report of the Auditor General reads in parts; “the Rector of Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) is kindly requested to explain and comment on the involvement or explicit role of Messrs Manyata Engineering Services Ltd in the supply contract awarded to Messrs Bell Helicopters Textron and consequent opening of Letter of Credit in favour of Messrs Manyata Engineering Ltd who was never involved in the contract award ab-initio.
“Comment on the non-supply of equipment and spare parts which totalled N66,774,491.59 and the non-training of NCAT staff by the contractor as provided in the BOQ, the value of which is N6,091,377.25.
“Explain the inclusion of an item in the BOQ titled ‘In-Country Customer Service Representatives,’ valued at N208,068,748.71, otherwise my office cannot accept these expenses as legitimate charges against public funds, in which the Rector of NCAT is requested to recover and pay back to treasury a total of $1,880,545 or N280,934,617.54 naira equivalent being unaccounted-for expenses on non-supply of spares, unexecuted training, unexplained ‘In-country Customer Service Representative.’”
When contacted in her office, the Rector of NCAT, Mrs Chinyere Kalu, refused to speak on record. But Weekly Trust heard that the idea of leasing out the helicopters was informed by the sophistication and maintenance cost of the aircrafts.
A high ranking official of NCAT said that after the helicopters were supplied, it was discovered that the fuel consumption of Bell 206 is very high, and as such that makes them uneconomical to be devoted to training only. She said the leasing arrangement provides that anytime the helicopters are needed in NCAT for training they would be called back.
She also said that leasing the helicopters would serve as a mean of generating revenue for the college, especially for the fact that the federal government wants all its parastatals to be self-reliant.
According to the official, in pilot training, students are exposed to elementary planes before being moved to advanced ones like the Bell 206 helicopters. Shedding light on how pilot training is conducted, she said after class and simulators’ exercises, students are first exposed to TB 9 planes for elementary and basic training.
Having mastered the TB 9, students then graduate to TB 20, Beach Baron B8 and TBM 850, saying that helicopter training supposed to take the same process.
This, according to her, is another reason that made the leasing inevitable to allow NCAT acquire smaller helicopters that would provide basic flying knowledge to students before the Bell 206 can be put to use.
Dispelling the insinuation that the helicopters have started flying under the lease arrangement, she said up till now the aircrafts are still in the police hanger at the Murtala Muhammad Airport, Lagos, as the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has not cleared them for flying.
She said the helicopters are still in the custody of the suppliers, as NCAT has not officially received the planes.
A booklet stating the achievements of Mrs Chinyere Kalu since her assumption of office as Rector of NCAT listed the purchase of the two helicopters as the No. 7 item in the line of legacies that she set in the school.
“Acquisition of two (2) Bell 206 helicopters; this is basically for expansion and improvement of the scope of training,” the booklet, which is in possession of Weekly Trust, said.
Source: Daily Trust
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