NCAA Denies Purchasing N250m Official Vehicle for Acting DG

Confidence UbaniApril 29, 20242 Mins read454

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has revealed that 190 flights were cancelled and 5,225 delayed over a two-month period, showing concerns about the rising frequency of disruptions in the aviation sector.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has refuted claims of purchasing a 2022 Toyota Landcruiser worth N250 million for the acting Managing Director, Captain Chris Najomo.

NCAA’s Director of Corporate Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr Michael Achimugu, emphasised that the agency operates with due process and no director, including himself, has received an operational vehicle.

Mr. Achimugu stated firmly that the NCAA has not paid any amount, let alone N250 million, for a vehicle since Najomo assumed office. He asserted that proper procedures must be followed for any purchase, and no such process has been initiated.

Furthermore, the agency threatened legal action against the publisher of the online medium spreading the false news if the story was not retracted promptly. This denial comes in response to an article alleging financial recklessness by Captain Najomo, who purportedly purchased the expensive SUV without proper approvals.

The article also accuses Najomo of approving extravagant expenditures on staff training and failing to comply with government directives.

However, Vivien Okeyia, spokesperson for NCAA, refuted the allegations, stating that the figures quoted for the vehicle purchase were incorrect. She clarified that the vehicle had not been purchased yet and was part of a fleet intended for top management officials.

Okeyia also denied claims of non-compliance with Treasury Single Account (TSA) regulations and non-remittance of statutory deductions to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Speaking while Briefing the media on Monday in Abuja, however, Michael Achimugu said: “The Acting Director General told us the Directors when we came on board that, if we were expecting our operational vehicles, we should shelf that ideal until the staff have been taken care of.

No single Director in this place (NCAA) has an operational vehicle; I don’t have one. We are about Eleven (11) Directors, and none of us has an operational vehicle at the moment.

He further stated that,

NCAA has not paid any money, not just N250 million, for any vehicle anywhere in the world since Najomo assumed office.

I said this with confidence that the NCAA had not paid any money for any vehicle anywhere.

To purchase anything here, you must go through a process; we have not gone through that process, so how did we purchase a N250 million vehicle! he asked.

According to him, N250 million is directly above the approval limit of the NCAA DG, and the Acting DG can not make such approvals by himself. The controversy surrounding the alleged purchase of the N250 million vehicle and other financial irregularities raises questions about accountability and transparency in government agencies.