28th October, 2013
Simon Ateba/Aviation correspondent
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, now has the documents relating to the BMW car scandal rocking the aviation ministry, the agency said in a statement on Monday, the same day media reports quoted the agency as saying that it did not have any documents on the matter.
NCAA said it was a matter of semantic as it had given appropriate answers to questions asked by Barrister Femi Falana.
Falana had written the agency under the Freedom of Information Act and demanded the release of document regarding the car buy within seven days.
But the agency said Falana asked the wrong questions and got the answers he deserved.
“It is pertinent to re- state here that NCAA in deed has no documents for the purchase of bullet proof cars for the Honourable Minister of Aviation as demanded for by the Lagos Lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, SAN.
“Instead, NCAA has documents relating to the Lease Finance arrangement for the procurement of Operational, Security and Safety Vehicles for the use of the Authority as provided for in its 2013 appropriation,” said Fan Ndubuoke, NCAA image maker.
The agency said all the documents are already in the public domain and have also been deposited with the various committees looking into the matter.
“The public is hereby enjoined to discountenance the innuendoes which tended to suggest that NCAA does not have documents at all regarding the bullet proof vehicles.
“It must be made clear here that Mr Femi Falana [SAN] specifically requested for documents for the procurement of vehicles for the Honourable Minister of Aviation,” Ndubuoke said.