More facts emerge on Oduah car scandal
But the woman at the centre of the scandal, Ms Stella Oduah, dared the committee as she again reneged on her promise to honour an invitation earlier extended to her.
Her absence however led to a near disagreement between the Committee Chairman, Mrs. Nkiruka Onyejeocha, and a member, Jerry Manwe.
Manwe had complained that the committee started proceedings without first clarifying why Oduah, who is the Minister of Aviation, was absent.
He said, “We adjourned (on Tuesday)to take the minister today (Wednesday). Why is she not here?
“She should have been the main issue today (Wednesday).
“The absence of the minister (Oduah) is a slap on the face of the House.”
Responding, Onyejeocha argued that the hearing was not about Oduah alone.
She overruled Manwe and moved on to hear the officials of the Nigerian Customs Service, Coscharis and First Bank Nigeria Plc state their roles in the purchase of the cars for Oduah by the NCAA.
The committee chairman later read a letter from the Ministry of Aviation in whicn the minister explained why she could not make the public sitting.
Onyejeocha told her colleagues that the Aviation ministry wrote to inform the committee that Oduah was on “transit” from Israel to Nigeria.
In the letter, the minister, who had allegedly failed to honour 12 invitations by the House, claimed that she would arrive in Lagos late on Wednesday and applied to appear before the committee on November 4.
• Oduah must appear today, says committee
But, Onyejeocha directed that the minister must appear on Thursday (today).
She said, “If she fails again, we take it that she does not want to appear. We are saying this in the spirit of fair hearing.
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