Reps probe aviation college over illegal sale of two training helicopters
The House of Representatives has begun investigating the alleged low sales of two training helicopters to private individuals by the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.
This followed the approval by the Federal Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Aviation, respectively.
Two helicopters, Bell 206L4 BZB and Bell M2061-L4, were sold for $650,000 and $550,000 in May 2023.
Some officials from the college faced intense scrutiny before the House of Reps. Committee on Public Procurement when the lawmakers met them in Abuja on Friday.
Rep. Ademorin Kuye, the committee chairman, expressed dissatisfaction with NCAT that the choppers were sold below 20 per cent of their cost price.
Rep. Ismailia Dabo, the committee’s vice chairman, said the situation showed possible discrepancies in the financial processes, hence the probe.
The committee alleged that the company responsible for auctioning the aircraft was not registered under the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and lacked certification from the Institute of Auctioneers in Nigeria.
The committee also accused the institution of under-remitting sales proceeds to the single treasury account of the federal government and using outdated exchange rates.
The committee told the college management to reappear before it while demanding the presence of the auctioneer and all the relevant documents about the transaction.
The committee also asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to provide details on the exchange rate during the transaction period.
The committee said that despite the interest shown by some of the nation’s security organisations when they learned of the move to sell the helicopters, the management of NCAT ignored them.
The committee also alleged that NCAT sold the helicopters to companies whose records could not be found with the CAC.
In his submission, the acting rector of NCAT, Shaka Imalighwe, sought the committee’s permission to allow the head of quality assurance and procurement to speak on the sale of the two training helicopters.
Mr Imalighwe said he had no idea of the processes that led to the sale of the helicopters because he was appointed the acting rector on December 20, 2023.
(NAN)
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