Aviation Probe: Again, Oduah Absent From Senate Hearing

The absence of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Azubuike Ihejirika, Chief of Naval Staff Vice Adm Dele Ezeoba and the Inspector General Of Police Mohammed Abubakar yesterday stalled the Senate’s meeting with the Service chiefs and the  Minister of Foreign Affairs , Prof. Viola Onwuliri.

Also, the Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah informed the Senate Committee on Aviation that a Wednesday night landing mishap involving a Saudi Arabian B747 cargo aircraft at the Abuja Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport prevented her scheduled appearance before the Senate panel.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Hope Uzodinma told newsmen that Oduah will now appear before the committee next Tuesday.

LEADERSHIP Friday reports that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport was shut down on Thursday leaving all flights to be temporarily suspended. The Saudi Arabian cargo aircraft landed and veered off at the manoeuvring area of the runway, ran into a maintenance area of the runway and stopped.

On the stalled Senate meeting with service chiefs, it will be recalled that the Senate issued sweeping summons to Nigeria’s Service chiefs and foreign Affairs minister to brief the Upper House on the impact of the State of Emergency recently extended in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

Rising from an executive closed door session which lasted less than 10 minutes, the Senate President, David Mark said that the meeting with the service chiefs will be deferred to “another legislative day” following their absence.

Briefing Senate Correspondents shortly after Thursday’s plenary, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Information, Senator Enyinaya Abaribe further clarified that the meeting could not hold because it (security briefing) is a delicate issue and needed to have all the service chiefs in attendance.

“We decided to meet another day since they were all not around, they were to come on Tuesday but because of what happened on Monday (Borno airbase attack) we shifted it to Thursday, the Senate is worried about the security situation in the country”.

Source: leadership