A deputy director, Mr. Ayo Aderibigbe, of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) told the House of Representatives panel probing the purchase of two exotic security cars purchased by the minister of Aviation, that the deal was illegal as it violated the law of procurement.
Aderibigbe said the agency could not provide any authorization for the deal as the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) failed to seek its consent for the deal.
We have nothing to forward to the House on this matter; we also have nothing on details and dates on the procurement process, including a certificate of no objection, on the purchase of the vehicles.
“We also have no other relevant documents that could facilitate the process of the Committees’s investigation in the purchase of the two vehicles,” Aderibigbe said.
He said approval should have been sought from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) as the transaction was over N100 million. However the minister was said to have single-handedly approved the purchase of the vehicles in contravention of the law governing such procurement.
The cars were found not to be in the 2013 budget. In addition the BPP said the NCAA further violated procurement laws.
Whilst being probed by the panel, the DG of the NCAA, Capt. Fola Akintuotu, said he could not answer questions on the transaction as it occurred before his appointment took place.
He assumed office on August 14th when the expenditure had already taken place.
The panel headed by Mrs. Nkiruka Onyejeocha said the NCAA breached the law by committing N1 billion to purchase vehicles in 2013, as only N240 million was made available for procurement of vehicles for the agency by the National Assembly. This brought the extra-budgetary spending of the agency to N660 million.
Whilst probing the then Acting Director General, Mr. Joyce Nkemakolom, he told the panel that the vehicles were still property of First Bank and the fact that it was a lease financing meant that the agency did not breach public procurement laws.
“As we speak, the vehicles are still under the control of the financing bank (First Bank) and we were given approval for N240m for the procurement in the 2013 budget and with this procedure, we can never, never flap that ceiling,” Nkemakolom said.
He was however shown documentation that the vehicles were delivered to the NCAA, Ikeja office.
The Reps committee demanded that the minister appear before it on Tuesday next week unfailingly.
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