Our correspondent revealed that the 25 containers of iron beams were ordered by former Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah in 2014 for the reconstruction of the hajj and cargo terminals before she was removed from office over her illegal purchase of two bulletproof BMWs.
No fewer than 25 iron beam containers have been abandoned at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos since 2015, while an additional 70 containers imported from China have gone missing.
Our correspondent revealed that the 25 containers of iron beams were ordered by former Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah in 2014 for the reconstruction of the hajj and cargo terminals before she was removed from office over her illegal purchase of two bulletproof BMWs.
The containers arrived in 2015 and have been abandoned ever since.
“The containers containing the beams were imported into Nigeria for the construction of hajj and cargo terminals, as Oduah then focused much attention on rehabilitating the airport terminals,” a source close to the Ministry of Aviation told our correspondent.
“The hajj and cargo terminals were part of the exercise, but before the equipment could arrive at the shores of Nigeria, Oduah had already been removed by former President Goodluck Jonathan.”
The source added that Mrs. Oduah’s successors - Sam Ortom, Osita Chidoka, and Hadi Sirika - could be responsible for their abandonment.
He further revealed that the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Saleh Dunoma, was the Director of Projects during Mrs. Oduah’s tenure and was therefore responsible for the clearance of equipment used for airport remodeling projects.
Our correspondent learned that the terminal reconstruction project was handed over to President Muhammadu Buhari by former President Goodluck Jonathan, but the new administration opted to abandon the project.
“As it stands now, the plan to remodel the hajj and cargo terminals has been forgotten because new buildings are coming up at the hajj and cargo areas. Presently, the office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), another two-story building allegedly owed by a director in FAAN, is also under construction at the same cargo area,” the source said.
Regarding the 70 missing containers, our correspondent learned that the materials could no longer be traced after it they entered demurrage due to their non-clearance by the FAAN.
