Anxiety is now trailing the fate of the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah as she had an unscheduled close door meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the presidential villa, Abuja, yesterday.
The meeting between President Jonathan and the minister which lasted over two hours is generating tension in certain quarters over her job, as some presidency sources say it might not be unconnected with the scandal bordering on financial irregularities in the purchase of two bulletproof cars to the tune of N225 million by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authorities (NCAA) for the minister.
Another source at the presidency told LEADERSHIP, however that the minister was overheard saying she was at the president’s office to invite him for a programme being organised by the Aviation ministry.
This is the first time the minister is coming on her own to meet with the president in his office since the scandal that rocked the aviation ministry over the BMW bulletproof cars.
Besides, her visit to the president yesterday was quite unusual; this is even so as most ministers had travelled out of Abuja for the Christmas celebration after the last Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting for the year which held last week Wednesday.
Clad in a coffee kampala gown with a wine head scaff and bag to match, Oduah arrived Aso Villa at about 2.45pm in the company of one of her aides.
She walked sluggishly with her head bowed to the ground a she entered the president’s office and was there over two hours.
The Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim also came in at about the same time to see the president, but it was not clear whether he was part of the meeting.
The minister came out of the president’s office at about 5:17pm, just about 20 minutes after the SGF had left. She wore the same pensive look which characterised her movement when she came to the place earlier on.
Following the N255 million armoured cars’ scandal in the ministry, President Jonathan had been under intense pressure to sack the minister.
The House of Representatives had also asked the president to sack the minister for violating the constitutional provision in the acquisition of the armoured cars, a position which the minister condemned.
Source: Leadership
