The House of Representatives has passed a resolution to investigate the oil minister, Diezani Madueke’s alleged graft by maintaining a a private jet for personal use of her and her family with over 500,000 Euros or N130 million monthly for the past two years.
The motion for the investigation was sponsored by Hon. Samuel Adejare, (Lagos, APC), and entitled: “Urgent need to investigate the waste of resources on the arbitrary charter and maintenance of aChallenger 850 aircraft for non-official use’.
He said: “ In these days of scarce national resources where public finance is shrinking in the face of ever-increasing national needs such as roads, health, education and power, amongst others, an official of government could waste public funds on such luxury as chartering a Challenger 850 aircraft for extra official use. “
He added, “In recent times, most states of the federation have been facing acute shortage of allocations due to the dwindling national revenue which has reduced the quality of governance and deprived the people of dividends of democracy”.
He said his allegation “is based on reliable evidence, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke has been committing the sum of 500,000 Euros (N130 million) monthly to maintain the aircraft, thus in two (2) years, the minister had committed at least N3.120 billion in maintaining the private jet which is used solely for her personal needs and those of her immediate family, which is an appalling act”.
He also claimed that “there are strong indications that the above expenditure is only a tip of the iceberg as several other billions of Naira have been allegedly wasted on flying the jet all over the world obviously for the leisure of the minister and her immediate family on trips that were of no benefit to the country.
“ This colossal waste is currently estimated at N10 Billion which include the payment of allowances to the crew for the trips, hangar parking and rent based on the lease agreement.
“If government could be bankrolling this waste in the face of ever dwindling public resources which amounts to a misplacement of priority, impudence and breach of public trust, an action that offends the Fiscal Responsibility Act and all other laws on fiscal discipline in Nigeria.
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