Oduah splits Presidency, off to Israel for pilgrimage, BASA deal

Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella
Oduah, has left Nigeria for Israel despite the
furore generated by the controversial purchase
of N225 million bullet-proof vehicles for her by
the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA.
Competent sources told Vanguard that the
beleagued minister is reported to have
summoned courage and flew to Israel of on
Tuesday a day ahead of President Jonathan's
visit to the country, where he is expected to
perform some spiritual rites and engage in
some bilateral deals.
Oduah, who has already been subpoenaed by
the two chambers of the National Assembly to
appear and answer questions on her role in the
purchase of the cars,  will also come under the
searchlight of the special probe panel raised by
President Gooodluck Jonathan.
The three-man Presidential team that will grill
the minister is made up of the immediate past
Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Isa Sali
Bello, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Col.
Sambo Dakusi (rtd) and  AVM Dick Iruenebere
(rtd).
Vanguard learnt that the decision by the
minister to travel to Israel in the midst of the
car con was to reduce the tension generated by
the negative development and to give her some
time off to pray to God while in the Holy Land.
But there were doubts in the Presidency last
night as to whether the minister would be part
of the Presidential team to seal the Bilateral Air
Services Agreement, BASA, with Israel in Tel
Aviv given the negative publicity the car deal
had given the country since it broke out last
week.
But sources close to the minister said that she
was not bothered about the development, as
she was said to have received assurance from
influential persons close to the Presidency that
she would not be dropped because of her
political worth to the system.
A source close to the Presidency told Vanguard
that the decision to query Oduah and
eventually raise the panel to probe her did not
come easy, as top Peoples Democratic Party
members and some aides of the President
prevailed on him not to do anything against the
minister, given the role she played in the
election of Mr. President.
It was learnt that after a heated debate, the
President bowed to some of his aides, who
reasoned that not taking any disciplinary action
against the minister would send the wrong
message to the world that the President was
condoning corruption.
Some of the aides were said to have impressed
upon Jonathan the need to act fast in taking
action to assuage doubting Nigerians about his
avowed war against corruption and to send a
strong message to others in the system who
might engage in similar acts.
A source said, "The President finally agreed to
set up the panel to probe Oduah after some
powerful elements in the PDP BoT and the party
tried in vain to dissuade him from taking any
disciplinary action against the minister.
"The argument of the minister's protagonists is
that she is a star performer, who has changed
the aviation landscape in Nigeria and has been
very useful to the party and the President, as
the leader of the Neighbour-to Neighbour group
that has been mobilising for the President
during elections.
The minister is said to have also split her
colleagues who are also divided on what should
be done to her following the car deal imbroglio.
Sources said many ministers, who are
apparently fed up with Oduah's excesses, are
pushing for serious action against her while
those in her support think otherwise, blaming
political enemies for her ordeal.