The controversial Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, sacked

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday sacked four ministers. They were controversial Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, Police Affairs Minister, Navy Captain Caleb Olukolade (rtd), Minister of Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe and Minister of State for Finance, Yerima Ngama.

The Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Investment, Samuel Ortum, is to supervise the Aviation Ministry, the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Olajumoke Akinjide is to oversee the Police Affairs Ministry, the Minister of State for Niger Delta, Darius Ishaku, while the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, will oversee the functions of the  minister of state.

The sack came shortly after President Jonathan hit back at critics accusing his administration of not doing enough to fight corruption, at the swearing-in of the National Population Commission, Chairman, ‎Eze Duru Iheoma and two commissioners, Bala Banya and Aliyu Kwali, the Special Adviser on NEPAD, Fidelia Njeze, National Assembly Affairs, Senator Suleiman Ajadi, as well as a member of Independent Corrupt Pratices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Bako Abdullahi, at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa.

Oduah’s approval for the purchase of two bullet-proof cars for N255 million last year, drew a lot of criticism with many Nigerians calling for her sack and prosecution.

While Oduah was conspicuously missing at yesterday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, Orubebe however, was all over the place, shaking hands and sharing jokes with his fellow council members before the commencement of the meeting.

Reacting to the removal, a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode said: “I commend President Goodluck Jonathan for finding the courage to sack Stella Oduah and Mike Oghiadiome. This is a step in the right direction.”

Olubolade quietly walked out of the council chambers as soon as news filtered out that four ministers have been dropped from the cabinet.

Shortly after the swearing-in of the new public officers before the commencement of the FEC meeting, President Jonathan had requested for 30 minutes break.

Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, the Minister of Information and Supervising Minister of Defence, Labaran Maku said, “also today, the President announced further changes in the Federal Executive Council. He said a number of ministers have been asked to step out of the Federal Executive Council to further their own interest, some in politics others in their own private focused.

“Clearly, what the President did today was to allow ministers who have indicated interest in pursuing further goals in the polity, in the economy and in the life of the country to be allowed to go.

“Those asked by the President to go include the following: The Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama, Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Capt. Caleb Olukolade (rtd), Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe and Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah.

“In announcing their acceptance in their decision to participate in the polity, the President thanked them very sincerely for the great job they have done, in helping the government realise the goals that have been achieved under the Transformation Agenda. The President believes that they have done so well for this administration and was generally happy with what they have done, particularly in their various sectors to help the administration realise the goals we have seen today in the results we have arrived at under the transformation programme of the government.

“The President also further explained that contrary to some insinuations in some quarters, that our colleague, the former Chief of Staff, Chief Mike Ogiahdomhe, was asked to go because of alleged involvement in NNPC alleged fraud. The President explained that contrary to these insinuations which came from the social media and were also replicated in some regular media, Chief Ogiahdomhe left to pursue further interest in politics.

“The office of the Chief of Staff does not supervise the NNPC, it has no direct correlation with the NNPC and he said if Chief Ogiahdomhe left because of the NNPC alleged fraud, then it will suggest that they would have been people that were involved with him and those people too would have gone.

“So contrary to these speculations, the President asked him to go when he offered to resign to pursue interest in politics. Politics is very vast so the President made it very clear that the resignation of the former Chief of Staff has anything to do with alleged misdemeanor in NNPC but rather purely the decision of the former Chief of Staff to withdraw his services to participate in politics”, Maku said.