Posted by By PATRICK ASONYE & AGAPTUS ANAELE on
Unknown to many, the current travail of former Aviation Minister, Prof Babalola Borishade over the controversial N19.5billion Aviation Intervention Fund might have been ordered by his friend and immediate past president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
…About N6.5 billion Safe Tower Project
Unknown to many, the current travail of former Aviation Minister, Prof Babalola Borishade over the controversial N19.5billion Aviation Intervention Fund might have been ordered by his friend and immediate past president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
Borishade is currently facing trial over the way and manner the N19.5billion Aviation Intervention Fund (AIF) was spent while he was in office as minister.
The man who succeeded him as minister, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode is also in the dock, required to explain the role he played in the management of the Fund.
Specifically, the two men were dragged before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleging that they have questions to answer over the management of the N19.5billion Aviation Intervention Fund, part of which was the N6.5billion contract for Safe Tower Project (STP).
Contract for the STP was signed in June 2006 - when Borishade was Aviation minister - between the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) on behalf of the Federal Government and AVSATEL GMBH of Vienna, Austria, represented in the country by AVSATEL Communications Limited.
But there was nothing to write home about the pace of work on the Project until Borishade was removed from the ministry, hence Fani-Kayode reportedly constituted a technical sub-committee to evaluate it.
Led by Captain Shehu Iyai, the committee's findings were presented to President Obasanjo before he left Aso Rock.
Before the recent arrest and arraignment of the two ministers, Sunday Sun had reported exclusively that the presidency was furious that contract for a project of that magnitude was awarded without recourse to established Due Process.
Also in the report, Professor Borishade was put on the spot for allegedly flouting the directive of the Federal Executive Committee (FEC) on the sourcing of the fund.
What role did Obasanjo play in the contract that has since become controversial, leading the two personae dramatis to tread words at the Senate probe panel?
Sunday Sun can authoritatively report that Fani-Kayode had, on receiving the interim report, briefed Obasanjo in a memo thus: '…Mr. President, ordinarily I would have referred such a matter to the EFCC for further investigation, however, it is my considered opinion to bring the situation to your notice before further action is taken…"
Thus, Fani-Kayode sought further directive from the then president.
To his request via a memo of December 18, 2006, Obasanjo wrote: 'Minister of Aviation, the culprit or culprits must be identified and severely punished."
In January 2007 when the final report on the execution of the STP was turned in, it confirmed the preliminary findings of the technical subcommittee - that things were some sharp practices in the award of the contract.
Again, Fani-Kayode on January 30, 2007 sought Obasanjo's approval for a decisive action against those indicted in the committee's report.
To it, Obasanjo wrote: 'Minister, Approved", and dated it 06/02/07.
Sources said that Obasanjo was nonetheless unperturbed that his friend was indicted in that report.
The last may not have been heard about the ongoing probe of the N6.5 billion inflated contract in the aviation sector as the Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) Engineer Godfrey Eze is now cooling off in the cell of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Abuja.
A highly dependable source told Sunday Sun that the director was invited by the commission for interrogation, but that he (Eze) was not cooperative in the course of interrogation: ' He was not opening up, so that necessitated his detention to further give time for his interrogation."
EFFC's Head of Media and Publicity, Mr.Femi Babafemi confirmed the detention.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro has approved the withdrawal of three units of mobile policemen hitherto attached to the EFCC from inception. The withdrawal followed a request by the EFCC Chairman, Mrs. Farida Waziri.