Bullet-proof cars bought for foreign visitors, Oduah tells Reps committee

THE Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, Thursday denied reports that the two BMW armoured cars, bought by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), from Coscharis Nigeria Limited, were bought for her.
Appearing before the committee looking into the purchase of the armoured cars, Oduah said the controversial cars were bought for the safety of foreign aviation visitors in line with Nigeria's growing role in ICAO certification.

Stella Oduah

"It is totally untrue that NCAA bought cars for me. "They were not registered in my name", she said.The Minister, Ms. Stella Oduah apologized to the committee for her non appearance on Wednesday, noting that it was not out of disrespect for them.

Meanwhile, a group of women Thursday gathered at the Federal Secretariat Abuja to protest against attacks on the embattled Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah.

But their hopes of carrying their message to the National Assembly was dashed as the police dispersed them barely twenty minutes after the protest started.

The protest which started at about 10:15 am from the Ministry of Aviation in Abuja comprised largely women numbering over thirty.

The women who carried placards with inscriptions like: "Leave Stella Oduah alone" "Aviation minister has transformed the aviation industry" "External interference affecting the aviation sector" "fight against Oduah fight against women" said they were protesting over attacks on a fellow woman as them, embattled aviation minister Stella Oduah, a fellow woman as them.

President Women Solidarity Group for Goodluck 2015, Rita Audu, who led the group said, "We are here to tell Nigerians that even previous regimes people have been buying armoured cars and they did not do anything to them. This same thing they did to Stella was what they did to Patricia Etteh, that they removed her from her post. Is it only Stella that bought bullet proof car in this country? They will go and do set up to remove her from that post. Any post for the women, the men will go and dig and remove them from the post, please they should leave her alone. People that have been buying bullet proof cars governors, ministers did they remove them from their post? Have they sent EFCC after them? I am not saying it is good or bad but anytime women are given a post the men will look for something against them"

However, policemen who came in a Toyota Camry with no. NPF 6640C less than twenty minutes after the protest started dispersed the protesting women, threatening to use tear gas on them if they insisted on carrying on.

"They just said we should go because we are women" the leader of group said.