Tag: Stella Oduah
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Okada riders welcome Oduah
Princess Stella Oduah, Anambra North PDP Senatorial Candidate, welcome by Onitsha Okada Riders Association to Onitsha following her victory at the court. -
Stella Oduah’s business rots
IT is no longer news that Stella Oduah, the controversial Minister of Aviation who was recently relieved of her job, is contemplating a seat at the Senate. What is not yet known is what will become of her company, Sea Petroleum and Gas Limited.
The latest gist about SPG is that the company is gradually assuming a derelict status. SPG, one of the top players in the oil sector before Stella took up a ministerial appointment from President Goodluck Jonathan, has become a shadow of itself. The corporate head office of the company in Lekki, Lagos, is now a far cry from what it used to be in the days Stella had enough time to manage its affairs.
Abandoned trucks were seen all around the complex while the whole environment looked unkempt when Celeb Watch visited. If business activities are being conducted by SPG, they certainly are not done in that complex, as only a handful of people were seen around. The current state of the complex is attributed to Stella’s involvement in politics.
While on national assignment, she reportedly entrusted some of her managers with the management of the company’s affairs, but from all indications, the handlers did not appear to have made the best of it. The popular expectation was that she would return to manage the company when she lost her ministerial appointment, but she has since been oiling her political machinery to find her way to the Senate in 2015.
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Stella Oduah set to battle Okadigbo’s wife
Call her a cat with nine lives and Stella Oduah aptly fits the definition. After many battles in the corridors of power, the Anambra-born former Minister of Aviation is back in reckoning, with her eyes on the seat presently occupied by Senator Margaret Okadigbo, widow of the late Senate President, Chuba Okadigbo. Her bid to displace Margaret is currently the talk of the town in Anambra North Senatorial District.
It was gathered that the highly connected woman is determined to dislodge Margaret, who is also contesting the seat on the platform of the PDP. Princess Oduah, who hails from Akili-Ozizor in Ogbaru LGA, is believed to enjoy the backing of her people and the PDP hierarchy. Leaving office as one of the most criticised ministers ever in Nigeria, Stella received a rapturous reception from her kinsmen who have been decorating her with one chieftaincy title after another since she returned home.
Even in the face of the opposition mounted against her, she held on to her post until it became politically expedient for President Goodluck Jonathan, who subtly asked her to throw in the towel.
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Stella Oduah battles Margaret Okadigbo
THE last has not been heard from the tent of the former minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah. Insiders squealed that Oduah is set to dislodge the widow of the late Chuba Okadigbo, Margaret, at the Senate in 2015.
The businesswoman cum politician, who was dropped from the President Jonathan-led cabinet early this year after the controversial purchase of bullet-proof cars, will be contesting for the Anambra north slot on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Oduah, who comes from Akili-Ozizor in Ogbaru LGA, is believed to enjoy the backing of the PDP hierarchy and is not expected to find it difficult to get the party’s nomination. The oil and gas entrepreneur was a key member of the President Jonathan’s door-to-door group used for his campaign in 2007.
Her recent recognition by her community with the chieftaincy title of Ada Eze Chukwu for her “outstanding service to Nigeria” by the traditional ruler of Ogbaru, Igwe Nelson Ethmal, sources said, is not unconnected with her latest moves.
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Fayose still on trial for corruption, says EFCC
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday said it is still probing a former Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah.
It also said only the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can determine whether or not former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose can contest this weekend’s governorship election.
EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, addressed reporters yesterday in Abuja on the activities of the commission since March.
Uwujaren responded to questions on high-profile cases the EFCC had been handling.
On the quizzing of Ms Oduah for alleged N255 million bulletproof cars’ scam, the EFCC spokesman said the commission was still conducting investigations.
He said: “I recall, during my last briefing, I craved your indulgence to be patient with the commission. At that time, she (Ms Oduah) had not even been invited to appear before the commission.
“Since our last meeting and now, I am also all of us know she was invited, she came and made statement to the commission. That investigation is also going on.
“On Oduah, I have said it here and I want to say it again that the matter is not closed. She has been invited and she has made a statement…”
Asked if the EFCC would allow Fayose to contest the governorship election in Ekiti State, the EFCC spokesman said only the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cold answer the question.
But he explained that a suspect or an accused is presumed innocent under the nation’s law until found guilty.
Uwujaren said: “I think the proper place to direct that question to is the INEC, which is the umpire over election. It is not the EFCC. Our job is not to preside over electoral matters.
“If the umpire believes that the electoral law allows such a person standing trial in court, even though he has not been convicted to stand for election, that is the job of the INEC; it is not for EFCC to decide.
“Fayose, for your information, is still standing trial on corruption charges before the Federal High Court. That case has been on since 2007. Based on Appeal Court’s decision, the matter was transferred to Ekiti State, where the crime was committed…”
“And I recollect the last sitting of the court about two months ago. So, that matter is still fresh and he has not been cleared, the case is still in court.
“But by Nigerian Judicial tradition, we assume that he is innocent until proven guilty in court and we cannot at this moment convict him until the court decides.”
On alleged ongoing investigation of 14 serving governors, Uwujaren said: “ I don’t know where you got the figure of 12 or 14 governors. I do not have any information on that. Once we have anything on any governor, we will pass the information to members of the public.”
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‘Linking Oduah to overhaul of aviation agencies mischievous’
The spokesperson for the aviation parastatals, Mr. Yakubu Dati, yesterday debunked claims by critics that the former Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, had a hand in the removal of the former heads of aviation agencies.
He said in an interview in Lagos that the Federal Government had, in its wisdom, effected changes in the management of the aviation agencies, in the public interest.
He said the erstwhile Managing Directors of FAAN, Mr. George Uriesi; the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr. Nnamdi Udoh; Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Capt. Chinyere Kalu; and the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, worked with the former minister throughout her tenure without any issue.
“These gentlemen worked under Princess Oduah when she was the Aviation Minister. So if she wanted to remove any of them, she possibly could have done so,” he said.
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Stella’s happy ending
It was an eye-opening lesson on how to go about rewriting history when Princess Stella Oduah, the former Minister of Aviation who left office in undignified circumstances, lectured a gathering of stakeholders in the country’s aviation industry, including civil servants and pilots, at a valedictory ceremony held at the Protea Hotel, Asokoro in Abuja. It was a moment when reality, or objective truth, got reinterpreted, perhaps to the discomfiture of the audience.
Oduah, whose dramatic exit followed a long-drawn-out controversy over her involvement in the scandalous purchase of two bulletproof cars for N255 million, kept a straight face as she pronounced herself blameless, which was not altogether surprising, given the known tendency of the blameworthy to insist on innocence. In a move that spoke volumes about her provocative perspective, she reportedly shunned a prepared speech by her media aide, ostensibly to speak from the heart. It proved to be socially useful by revealing the mindset of a former public servant who stands condemned by public opinion.
“And without being immodest, I think we did the right thing,” she said of her stormy tenure, conveniently forgetting that it was the business of the people to judge her performance, and not for her to play the role. Remarkably, her choice of words on the occasion was unwittingly revealing. Three instances will suffice. First, she said, “I really don’t have anything to say but to say that what we did, we did it collectively.” This can be interpreted to mean that she actually has no defence in the matter of alleged abuse of office concerning the over-priced cars. Second, she told the audience, “It was Einstein that said I am strong as I am because you allowed me to stand on your shoulders, and all of you here allowed me to stand on your shoulders and so I want to say thank you.” Considering the unresolved accusation that preceded her removal from office, it was more like she stood on their heads. Third, she added, “Therefore, the next coming person, I believe with your support will do the needful. Most people don’t understand what the needful means…” To go by her dubious accomplishment in office, it shouldn’t be any wonder that her own definition and comprehension of the word “needful” may not be quite popular, as she brilliantly pointed out.
It is noteworthy that before President Goodluck Jonathan eventually showed her the door, doing so with irritating hesitancy and undeserved courtesy, Oduah had a reputation as one of the very few sacred cows, largely female, who enjoyed unshakable presidential protection. Others who stand out in this charmed circle are Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, and Diezani Alison-Madueke, Minister of Petroleum.
All it took to reinforce this image of invincibility was for Jonathan to cunningly ensure a soft landing for Oduah under the guise of a cabinet reshuffle in February; and for the avoidance of doubt, he denied any linkage with the armoured automobiles affair, which the Presidency has since left behind after an unproductive cosmetic probe, despite an indicting investigation by the legislature.
Consequently, Oduah can look back at the scandal as just a bad day at work, and lift her head high as she did at the farewell event. All is well that ends well, isn’t it?
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Stella Oduah returns to base
Stella Oduah may have been eased out of power with her sack as the Aviation Minister by President Goodluck Jonathan, but she is far from bowing out. The woman, who had taken over the ministerial slot of her husband, has gone back to Neighbout2Neighbour, the project that gave her fame and influence in the administration of President Jonathan.
According to information scooped by Celeb Watch, Stella has already started oiling the machinery of the organisation, which was said to have spent billions of naira to sell the candidacy of President Jonathan in the build-up to the 2011 presidential election. Neighbour2Neighbour is said to have started recruiting people to man strategic units of the organisation across the federation.
Although it is not yet clear what Stella intends to do with the organisation this time around, some insiders say its activities might not be unconnected with President Jonathan’s re-election campaign for 2015. The organisation had bought pages of newspapers (including cover pages) to make case for fuel subsidy removal when the country rose against the attempt by President Jonathan in January 2012.
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Oduah hands over to supervising minister
Former Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah, has hailed President Goodluck Jonathan, workers of and stakeholders in the Aviation sector for giving her the opportunity to serve the country.
The former minister also expressed gratitude to all for the support she got during her over two years’ stewardship in the ministry.
Ms Oduah spoke yesterday in Abuja when she handed over to the Supervising Minister for Aviation and Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Dr Samuel Ortom.
She said: “It was a great privilege to be chosen from among over 160 million Nigerians to serve in the Federal cabinet. My profound gratitude goes to Mr President, who provided me with this rare privilege. I also want to thank him for all the support he accorded me to pursue his Transformation Agenda in the Aviation Sector.
“I equally wish to thank my personal aides, aviator sector workers and stakeholders, who partnered with me to realise our vision and mission in the sector.”
“During my tenure, we gave our best to institute reforms in line with Mr President’s Transformation Agenda. We produced the Aviation Sector Master Plan and Implementation Road Map. Using the master plan and road map, we were able to reconstruct and remodel all 22 federally-owned airports across the country. We also began the construction of five new international terminals in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Kano.
“We introduced the perishable cargo and aerotropolis concepts to drive the growth and development of not only the Aviation sector but also the Nigerian economy. The construction of the cargo terminals has begun at 16 airports across the country while modalities have been completed to kick-start the aerotropolis project.
“We also carried out institutional reforms, built the capacity of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Technology (NCAT) to produce enough professionals for the local aviation market and export.
“My greatest satisfaction comes from our accomplishments in the area of safety and security of the Nigerian airspace. We were able to procure, update and install safety-critical infrastructure that has repositioned the sector to achieve our objective of zero-accident rate in the Nigerian airspace.”
The former minister said the reforms started during her tenure would propel the sector to greater accomplishments.
She hoped her successor would sustain the transformation in the sector, among air travellers and for the economy.
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Stella Oduah; so much for native intelligence
Those who are saying I should be removed are wasting their time, it is just beer parlour talk; this minister is here today, tomorrow and day after—Stella Oduah, Sunday 26 January, 2014.
That was a boastful former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah at a recent “Aviation Masterplan Workers’ Buy in” programme held at the Grand Ballroom of Lagos Oriental Hotel, Lekki.
The 3-day event had in attendance top management staff of the main parastatals in the ministry as well as a few others drawn mainly from her committee of friends carried over from the infamous “Neighbour-to-Neighbour” campaign group. Remember; the faceless group at the fore front of the campaign for Jonathan presidency the first time?
Some of those in attendance even quoted her to have added; “yes, I may not have gone to school, but I have native intelligence.” Hmmmm!
The sack last week of arguably one of the most powerful members of President Goodluck Jonathan’s government came as a huge surprise to not just a few Nigerians. The way and manner Madam Stella was conducting herself and the affairs of the Ministry of Aviation with near total impunity without even a mere rebuke from the presidency in spite of public outcry, gave little room to doubt that nothing, absolutely nothing, could touch her as long as Jonathan remains Nigeria’s president.
Unlike that Ghanaian former female cabinet Minister that boasted that her mission in government was to make a few millions of dollars, a comment she was later to regret as she was promptly fired by the Ghanaian president, (for even harbouring the thought) Stella Oduah had reportedly said and done worse than that and nothing happened to her until last week.
If truly she “may not have gone to school but have native intelligence”, little wonder then that she could not comprehend the enormity of the assignment given to her by the president, hence she ran the Ministry of Aviation based on how far her native intelligence could take her. Like a market woman put in charge of a hi-tech industry, Madam Stella did not know her right from left and presided over Nigeria’s aviation industry in the typical Oyingbo market woman style.
Before I am crucified for saying this, let me make it clear that I am not a novice in aviation and count myself as one of those Nigerian journalists well informed about aviation matters worldwide, especially the Nigerian aviation industry, having spend over a decade actively covering aviation as a correspondent and still involved in the industry somehow.
We’ve never had it so bad in the industry in Nigeria. Forget about the so called airport remodeling projects of Stella Oduah, those are just cosmetics, which only a market woman awash with cash and obsessed with ‘show off’, the ‘Sisi Eko’ mentality would readily indulge in. The tendency, when you have so much cash and not accountable to anybody, to build houses all over the place and acquire properties, without any thought of how to adequately equip and maintain them to make them continually functional. That in summary is the mentality behind the airport remodeling projects as far as I am concerned.
Of what use is a ‘beautiful’ terminal building where the conveniences are not working or in constant good order; where uninterrupted power cannot be guaranteed; where pilfering goes on unabated? By the way an airport is not just the terminal building, it is more than that. What is the state of the navigational equipments at these remodeled airports? If the terminal building is the most beautiful and most modern in the world but the airfield is 19th century technology, you have done nothing but build a modern palace equipped with pit latrine.
Well, the jury is still out on Stella’s airports.
What is most disturbing is the financial management style of Madam Stella and the source or sources of the funds used for her airport projects in particular. It is alleged that not less than N150 million is taken by the Ministry of Aviation under Madam Stella’s watch, every month from the account of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), one of the agencies under the ministry. This is a serious allegation that requires urgent investigation by all the anti graft agencies of the Federal Government to confirm or disprove.
Nothing is proven yet and Madam Stella is not guilty, cannot be guilty until proven guilty. It is a good thing that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says the matter of the N225 million bullet proof limousine scandal involving NCAA and linking the former Minister is still being investigated.
You remember the BMW cars, two of them, allegedly bought by the NCAA for the exclusive use of Madam Oduah? Why the former Minister made spirited efforts to distance herself from the scandal insisting she directed the parastatal in question to do the needful, the House of Representatives found out that her hands were not clean in the matter while a presidential panel equally indicted her.
That President Goodluck Jonathan found the courage to kick Madam Stella out, or forced her to resign is commendable, even though belated. But having gone this far, the president must take the next step and ensure that she is investigated by the relevant agencies of government and prosecuted for whatever offence she might have committed while in government, especially financial crimes as being alleged.
It might not be a bad idea to conduct a forensic examination of the financial dealings and records of the Ministry of Aviation and its parastatals under Madam Stella Oduah, just to put the records straight. Apart from the NCAA, the accounts of the other parastatals were equally raided by the Ministry under her watch, such that most, if not all were left with nothing other than enough to pay salaries. Even training allowances for staff on mandatory local and/or international training programmes, especially at NCAA could not be met became money had been sent to Abuja.
Trusting the EFCC to do a thorough job here is a bit risky. As the Senate has ordered in the case of the alleged missing money in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), forensic experts should be called in to look into Madam Stella’s book. A lot could be revealed. For instance there is this allegation that the former minister had squandered the funds realized under the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) Nigeria has with so many foreign countries. Some have said part of the money for her airport projects came from the BASA fund which under the law she had no power to spend. But some have equally alleged that the former Minister used her closeness to the President to cunningly get Dr Jonathan to sign a blank cheque for to spend BASA money. These are just allegations.
As Madam Stella is kicked out of office, she would be remembered not so much by her accomplishments/achievements, (if any, think there is a few) but by the politics of her action (the Rivers State aircraft issue), the arrogance of power she exhibited and the native intelligence that reflected in all her actions. But above all, she would be remembered as a round peg in a square hole. GOOD RIDDANCE Madam and over to you President Jonathan, let the needful be done in her case.