ODUAHGATE: Group asks Jonathan to protect women in politics

Despite the national outburst over the alleged corrupt practice in the purchase of official cars by Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, involving the Minister for Aviation, a right women group has other side to the story.

In a chat in Lagos State on weekend, All State Women Association of Nigeria; Worldwide asked President Goodluck Jonathan to protect women in politics in Nigeria arguing that Nigerians are trying to make politics in Nigeria to look like all men affairs.

According to the Group’s president, the attack on women in politics was becoming too clear an indication that women are more corrupt in Nigerian than their men counterparts.

Barrister Temple Nnedum said the issue has become necessary to be condemned.

 She disclosed that when men commit such offence like their women counterparts nothing would be heard of it but as soon as it involves women, it becomes an abomination.  

The Group frowned at the blackmailing of women as incompetent, corrupt and rogues in politics and said such labeling by any guise should stop forthwith and asked the President , the First Lady and other men of integrity to stop the annihilation of women by in politics in Nigeria.

“This is the same way they fought Mrs. Arunma Oteh, Diezani Alison Madueke, now is Okonjo Iweala and Mrs. Stella Oduah”, Temple stated. “Please leave Nigeria women in politics to do their honest work because in all, they have been the best, one can always get in government. Why is it always women when we have a lot of men out there that are more corrupt than women”?

“We are not trying to condone corruption in any way but each time is about one woman or the other. This is how they impeach Patricia Etteh, the former House of Representatives Speaker on flimsy allegations but when Dimeji Bankole, the erstwhile Hose of Representative did more than Etteh, he wasn’t impeached”. 

She cautioned Nigerians who fight corruption on gender differences to know that such is more corruption than the corruption of buying costly vehicles.

She also condemned the act of judging of people based on ‘Facebook, twitter and blog’ reports and described it as uncalled for.

According to her, the woman is still innocent until proven otherwise by the court of law. 

“We are arguing that Mrs. Stella Oduah, the Aviation Minister should be left alone to do her work until found guilty of the charges.

The controversies on the purchase of armored vehicles of whatever rate must have been carried out to safe guard her life, we are of the opinion that people should make it look as if women are more corrupt than their male counterparts in politics. Let’s wait for the outcome of the panel set up by the government before we begin to say that she did it to enrich herself or not”, Barrister Nnedum suggested.  

According to her, life was involved in this case but people weren’t looking at the security of the women but that everything now has been narrowed to corruption.

The Group noted that the Aviation Minister has done well.

“Also we want to point out that she has been doing well in Aviation industry of which we are all witnesses to her achievement since she came into the Ministry. We know that in the course of doing that, she has stepped on toes”.

Nnedum wondered why such allegations of corruption should be on some of the women who were doing well. According to her, the former Minister for Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Rufa’I was removed because of several media attacks on the woman as if Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASSU), has not being going on strike before she came in as Education Minister. Nnedum stated that it was the same game plan by male chauvinistic politicians who made it possible for the woman to be dropped.

“We have seen this occurrences on women in government more than men and it has happened to those that are doing marvelously well in government. Mrs. Oduah has been doing well, all Nigerians can testify to it and even Nigeria Airports can speak for itself”. Nnedum affirmed.

Why are Nigerian men despising women in politics? We are putting our best to transform our nation and all we get is victimization, hatred and wicked act on us. We need encouragement not disparity”, Barrister Temple Nnedum

Stated.

It would be recalled that a bloody clash was on Wednesday averted at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja as members of the Anti-Corruption Network led by its Executive Secretary, Mr. Dino Melaye and a group of youths clashed during a protest against the purchase of two armoured vehicles worth N255m for the minister.

Melaye, a former member of the House of Representatives and his group were held hostage for about 50 minutes by a team of about 200 riot policemen led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sunday Odukoya.

Melaye was arrested around 12.55pm and driven in a police Toyota Hilux Car (open roof) with registration number NPF 2128 C to the FCT Command for interrogation. This was after 28 anti-Oduah protesters had been arrested by the police.

The protesters’ offence, Odukoya said; include traffic obstruction and disturbance of public peace.

While Melaye’s group were shouting “Stella Must Go”, the youths were shouting, “Stella Must Stay.”

But they were overwhelmed by Melaye’s group because of the latter’s numerical strength.

The pro-Oduah protesters were alleged to have harassed journalists and threatened to smash their television cameras and the camera of some photojournalists.

Melaye had entered his vehicle to leave the protest venue before he got a hint that 28 of his supporters had been arrested by the police. He rushed to the scene to plead for their release.

When his plea for the release of the protesters was not heeded by the police, Melaye asked them to arrest him rather than going away with the protesters, who he noted, were innocent Nigerians expressing their constitutional and fundamental rights.

Before his arrest by the police, Melaye and his group were challenged by the pro-Oduah group. But the repeated pleas by Melaye to his group to remain calm prevented the protest from degenerating into violence.

Meanwhile, the embattled Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, is facing separate probe panels set up by President Goodluck Jonathan as well as the National Assembly over the purchase of N255 million armoured cars. The President on Tuesday last week issued query to her to explain her role in the purchase of the armoured cars. In her response, the minister said procurement of the cars followed due process and was provided for in the NCAA 2013 budget. Defence In her defence entitled: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ON THE PROCUREMENT OF NCAA OPERATIONAL VEHICLES, she wrote: “The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, is the statutory regulator of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Industry. Consequently, the NCAA is charged with oversight responsibilities over all civil aviation operations in the country, including safety, security and strict compliance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices, SARPs, and Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations, NCARs. 2. Towards the effective implementation of its statutory regulatory responsibilities, therefore, it is imperative that the NCAA is fully equipped with highly specialised tools and facilities, including adequate operational vehicles to cover all 22 national airports and over 400 airstrips. In keeping with standard practice, provision is therefore made annually for the replacement of obsolete, inadequate and unreliable monitoring equipment. 3. In the 2013 budgetary appropriation, provision was made for the procurement of specialised equipment (including operational vehicles) to complement and in some cases replace obsolete ones. Furthermore, the fact that NCAA, as the regulator of the industry, often plays host to dignitaries from ICAO, IATA, US FAA, AFRAA, AFCAC BAGASO, CANSO, ACI and a host of others makes it necessary to have specialised operational vehicles. 4. With regard to the procurement of additional operational vehicles (including BMW Security Vehicles), the following due process was observed: (I) by letter dated April 15, 2013, NCAA officially requested authorisation from the Federal Ministry of Aviation to procure 56 operational vehicles through lease financing. This option was proposed to the ministry to enable the NCAA make 36 monthly payments based on receipts from Internally Generated Revenue, IGR. Approval The Ministry therefore granted due approval. (ii)Based on the ministry’s approval, the NCAA invited Expressions of Interest from all Banks in Nigeria for the financing of the said vehicles. EOI was adopted because the procurement is two sided. First, the financier would have to be selected before the supplier is determined. This is in line with procurement best practices. (iii) On May 24, 2013, the response received from the various banks to the Expression of Interest, EOI, and request was opened publicly and minutes of the opening exercise was duly documented. During the EOI opening exercise, NCAA got commendation from one of the Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, approved by BPP who were invited for the opening exercise. (iv) The evaluation of the expression of interests was held on May 31, 2013 during which First Bank Plc, Union Bank Plc and Stanbic IBTC emerged most responsive. On the June 10, 2013 the above three banks were invited to submit Financial Proposals. Thereafter, First Bank emerged the highest rated responsive bidder. (v)Between June 20 and 25, 2013, invoices were received from various accredited motor vehicle dealers during which only Coscharis Motors Limited quoted for BMW Security Vehicles. Tenders Board (vi) On June 28, 2013, NCAA Parastatals Tenders Board approved the selection of First Bank Ltd for the Lease Financing as well as Metropolitan Motor Vehicles and Coscharis for the supply of the vehicles. All necessary approvals were duly sought and obtained accordingly. (vii) Between July 8, 2013 to August, 12, 2013 various meetings were held with First Bank Ltd, contract agreement was signed and necessary documentation executed. Your Excellency is respectfully invited to note: (i) the crucial statutory role of the NCAA in regulating civil aviation operations in the country, including safety, security and strict compliance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs). (ii) The need for NCAA to be fully equipped with highly specialized tools and facilities (including operational vehicles) to enable the effective implementation of its statutory functions. (iii) The procurement of specialized operational vehicles is duly provided for in the NCAA 2p 13 (IGR) Budget and the need for adopting instalment lease payments over36rionths. (iii) That Due Process was followed in the procurement of the said operational vehicles.

Please your Excellency my continued loyalty and esteemed regards. Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah, OON, Honourable Minister”.