ICPC recovers 17 cars from former FAAN officials
- Agency vows to recover more
The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) has assisted the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to recover 17 cars said to have been made away by top officials of the agency who left service recently.
Although, the value of the cars cannot be independently verified, a source in ICPC who spoke to New Telegraph on condition of anonymity said they run into several millions of naira.
The source added that most of the vehicles were expensive and state-of-the-art automobiles, stressing that the ex-officials are actually entitled to go away with the cars but noted that they did not do what they were supposed to do by notifying the authority for documentation.
Another official told Woleshadarenews that the agency has a policy which entitles ex officials to buy off their official vehicles.
They however stressed that the vehicles recovered are not guided with that policy as those particular vehicles were procured with an auto loan facilitated by a commercial bank during the tenure of former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah.
In Nigeria, it is a culture of perks of office for top government officials, which in most cases, the purchase of luxury cars are enmeshed in scandal and corruption.
In the handing over ceremony held at the FAAN’s headquarters in Lagos, the Director of Engineering Services, Salisu Daura, who represented the Managing Director expressed delight at the partnership between the authority and ICPC.
Daura thanked the ICPC for their efforts at ensuring that the vehicles are not only recovered, but handed over to the Authority.
He implored them to continue with the recovery exercise until all vehicles belonging to the Authority are handed over.
Afterwards, the Zonal Commissioner, who represented the Chairman of ICPC at the event, Mr Shintema P. Binga handed over the keys of the vehicles to FAAN.
Binga said the collaboration started when FAAN being in partnership with ICPC to fight corruption realised the need that whenever there are incidences of corrupt practices or things that could lead to corruption practices, they call on the ICPC’s attention.
His words, “In this instance, we were informed that certain officials of the authority, having completed their tenure of office or who being disengaged left with the authority’s vehicles that ordinarily they shouldn’t have gone with.
“The outcome of that collaboration is why we are here today. It is not just the vehicles we are handing over today. Some of them were parked in our headquarters in Abuja while one of them was parked in our Lagos office. It is part of the ongoing process of the recovery,” the zonal commissioner said.
Although, Binga said that not all the vehicles have been returned, but that ICPC felt it was necessary they bring them back to FAAN so that they can be put to use instead of parking the vehicles and allowing them rot away. He however, assured the workers that ICPC will be able to deliver the remaining ones in good time.
Also in attendance at the event were FAAN’s Director of Human Resources and Administration, Mr. Honourius Anozie, General Manager, Administration, Mr. Abubakar L. Othman, General Manager, Budget, Mr. Biodun Adegbesan, Deputy General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Christabel Eromosele, ICPC’s Head of Education, Mrs. Mary Omonoyan amongst others.
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