The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority of Nigeria (NCAA) has refuted allegations that it purchased Sports Utility Vehicle(s) for N250 million for its Ag. Director General.
According to a report published in The Nation, the agency said the figure was outrageous and above the purview of the money the DG could approve for himself.
It would be recalled that the acting DG, Capt. Chris Najomo was reported to have allegedly procured vehicle(s) worth N250m recently.
The report claimed that the agency purchased a 2022 brand of Toyota Land Cruiser (70th Anniversary Edition) worth over N250m as the official vehicle for the DG.
However, NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu has deniedtheallegation.
He said: “I know for certain and I am saying it for the record that the NCAA has not paid any dime as payment for any vehicle anywhere in the world since Captain Najomo came to office.
“I challenge the person to present evidence and I will tender my resignation. I am saying with every confidence that the NCAA has not paid any money for any vehicle anywhere.
“To purchase anything in NCAA, you must go through a process and we have not gone through that process, so how do we purchase a N250 million vehicle? Also, do not forget that the figure is most likely above the purview of the DG to approve for himself.
“The Ag. DG told the directors that none of the 11 of us will get our official vehicles until other junior staff are taken care of. In demonstration of this, he effected the payment of a backlog of housing arrears to all staff that had accumulated since 2019.
“He also made sure staff who were due for promotion but were stagnated got their promotion. He believes that when staff are motivated to work through proper welfare, the work will go on smoothly. So, he approved the promotion of stagnated staff to their next rank.
“Due to the nature of the job of the NCAA, the staff always undergo training and re-training. Training has been approved and payments were made and the staff involved will go for the training when the time comes. What is delaying their trip for the training is the ban on foreign trips by the president. Once the ban is lifted, they will go for their training.”
