Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Fola Akinkuotu on Friday rose in defence of the two BMW 760 Li Armoured Series cars allegedly purchased for the embattled Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah.
Addressing a press conference in Lagos, the NCAA boss said the cars are not meant for the minister’s day-to-day use but to complement the cars already in the pool meant to convey international dignitaries from organizations such as ICAO, IATA, FAA and others whenever they visit Nigeria.
Mr. Akinkuotu, insisted the purchase had been the practice in the Agency, adding that it is in line with aviation global practice which dictates that the NCAA must guarantee safety of international officials whenever they are in the country.
He said, “The cars are operational vehicles used in the varied operations of the NCAA. Transporting the Minister and aviation-related foreign dignitaries is part of this operation.
“First and foremost, we make haste to state that Aviation is a global industry and the NCAA, the Regulator of the industry in Nigeria very often plays host to Dignitaries from international Civil Aviation bodies like ICAO, IATA, US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), African Airlines Association (AFRAA), African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), The Bangjul Accord Group (BAG), Civil Air Navigation Service Organisations (CANSO), Airport Council International (ACI), amongst several others.
“It is internationally customary to convey our Minister and these visiting foreign dignitaries in security vehicles whenever they are in Nigeria. It must be noted that during such Visitations, the security of Members of the Delegations is the sole responsibility of the host country.
“The vehicles are therefore in the Pool of the NCAA for these special assignments and are available at NCAA office and can be shown to you. Perhaps, it is also pertinent to disclose that this is not the first time the Agency has procured high security vehicles for the aforementioned purposes. In any case, all necessary procurement and due process was followed”.
The Director General assured that the NCAA “remains focused on enforcing standards and promoting safety in line with ICAO and Nigerian Civil aviation Regulations (NCARs) and continues to perform its critical functions and the appropriate resources required for discharging these functions exist within and under the control of the NCAA”.
