National Daily

Safe Tower project controversy: EFCC indicts NAMA chiefs, former ministers

By PATRICK AIGBOKHAN

THE on-going Safe Tower project controversy in the aviation industry, which recently led to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission's arrest of the head of the company to which the contract of the project was awarded by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), has shown indications that some members of the management board of FAAN, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and former aviation ministers may soon be trapped in the EFCC net.

The contractor, M/S Avsetal, Nigeria, whose head, Mr. George Eider was said to have inflated the cost of the project by N4.5billion, thereby putting the cost of the project at N6.5billion, which was said to have, under normal 100 per cent marked up profit cost not more than N2.2 b as presented by a manufacturer of the equipment, according to the statement of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Ayim Udeh.

It could be recalled that the sum of N19.5 billion was approved by the former president of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo during the uproaring air crashes in 2005 and 2006 to facilitate safety projects, part of which was the Safe Tower projects at the four major airports in the country, Murtala Muhammed, Lagos; Mallam Aminu kanu, Kano; Nnamdi Azikiwe, Abuja, and Port Harcourt international airports.

The ongoing investigation on the safe tower project, now seam to backfire at the concerned industry chiefs as National Daily's findings reveal that present and former icons in NAMA, FAAN and in the aviation ministry as a whole, who were, at one time or the other, involved in the approval and disbursement of the fund, as well as, in awarding and approval of the contract, may soon be brought to book.

Industry watchers are of the view that the circumstances surrounding the awarding of the contract must have involved some criminal acts as M/S Avsetal, among other bidders, was awarded the contract in spite of its highest bid of N6.5billion. The closest bidder to M/S Avsetal was said to have bided at the price of N2.3 billion, while others were N1.6 billion and N1.2 billion.

Sources however reveal that the next targeted parties to be handpicked by the security operatives over this issue, are senior officials in the aviation industry who were closely involved in the utilization of the questioned fund.