Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Hope Uzodinma, on Thursday said the embattled Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, could not appear before his committee again because of the accident that occurred at the Abuja airport.
Uzodinma told journalists in Abuja that his committee asked the minister to come again on Tuesday next week.
He said, “We invited the Minister of Aviation and heads of the parastatals under her ministry to appear before us today (Thursday) arising from the senate resolution asking them to come and brief the senate on the last plane crash of Associated Airlines and the safety situation of the Nigerian airspace.
“The briefing was also to enable HODs in the ministry to brief the senate on some of the lapses and how they have been operating their various agencies.
“The meeting cannot hold today because of an emergency development, a 747 Cargo aircraft belonging to Saudi Arabia airline had some problems, landing into Abuja and as a result the airport is closed for air operations since this morning.
“All the agencies in the aviation ministry with their CEOs are all there battling to ensure that the aircraft is removed from the runway and ensure that normal operations resume.
“Julius Berger Nigeria Limited had been invited, they are working with AIB, FAAN, NCAA. It became necessary that we allow them sufficient time to solve the national challenge.
“We have been able to take Tuesday, which is the next legislative date by 2pm to have the minister and her team in audience.”
Also, the senate has postponed to Thursday next week the planned briefing by the service chiefs and the heads of other security agencies, including the Inspector General of Police, because some of the military chiefs were absent due to “logistics reasons”
Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, who briefed journalists on the matter, said the briefing “could not hold because it is a very delicate issue and we found that some of the heads of the security agencies and military formations were not available.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Why are the senators disturbing Mrs Oduah? Is it because the rich are always involved when there is air crash? What of numerous accidents happening on our high ways claiming lives and properties due to bad roads? Have the law makers ever summoned Minister of Transport or Minister of works or DG of FERMA to come and explain? Hope Uzodimma why have you not shouted out about building the second Niger bridge? The volume of trafic occurring on this bridge will one day cause it to break and what happened in Jalingo bridge in 2005 when many lives where lost will repeat itself. Just only one narrow bridge links the entire south East and south south with south west. Construction of the 2nd bridge should be declared a state of emergency for morists there are suffering. My opinion is that south East and South South should not support Jonathan if work on this bridge does not commence.
ReplyDeletemy
ReplyDeletetake on the postponement of the appearance of the embattled minister
for Aviation is that her offence is being handled ith levity. it is
hoped that she would be called to order, to avoid other ministers from
spending so much money without approval of the Senators and the
Presidency.