Reps Investigate Oil Minister’s over N10 billion Naira private jet scam

The House of Representatives has
passed a resolution to investigate the oil
minister, Diezani Madueke's alleged
graft by maintaining a a private jet for
personal use of her and her family with
over 500,000 Euros or N130 million
monthly for the past two years.
The motion for the investigation was
sponsored by Hon. Samuel Adejare,
(Lagos, APC), and entitled: "Urgent need
to investigate the waste of resources on
the arbitrary charter and maintenance of
aChallenger 850 aircraft for non-official
use'.
He said: " In these days of scarce
national resources where public finance
is shrinking in the face of ever-increasing
national needs such as roads, health,
education and power, amongst others,
an official of government could waste
public funds on such luxury as chartering
a Challenger 850 aircraft for extra official
use. "
He added, "In recent times, most states
of the federation have been facing acute
shortage of allocations due to the
dwindling national revenue which has
reduced the quality of governance and
deprived the people of dividends of
democracy".
He said his allegation "is based on
reliable evidence, the Minister of
Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-
Madueke has been committing the sum
of 500,000 Euros (N130 million) monthly
to maintain the aircraft, thus in two (2)
years, the minister had committed at
least N3.120 billion in maintaining the
private jet which is used solely for her
personal needs and those of her
immediate family, which is an appalling
act".
He also claimed that "there are strong
indications that the above expenditure is
only a tip of the iceberg as several other
billions of Naira have been allegedly
wasted on flying the jet all over the
world obviously for the leisure of the
minister and her immediate family on
trips that were of no benefit to the
country.
" This colossal waste is currently
estimated at N10 Billion which include
the payment of allowances to the crew
for the trips, hangar parking and rent
based on the lease agreement.
"If government could be bankrolling this
waste in the face of ever dwindling
public resources which amounts to a
misplacement of priority, impudence and
breach of public trust, an action that
offends the Fiscal Responsibility Act and
all other laws on fiscal discipline in
Nigeria.

The herald