BASA Funds: Daily Trust publication is Vague and Mischievous

The Senate Committee report on Aviation as reported in Daily Trust edition of 11 February is not only misleading but capable of eroding public trust in the activities of the several committees set up to investigate the activities of the previous regime. The report lacks credibility and it portrays the Committee as being mischievous in the execution of its assignment. Because of the huge loss, both human and material, that the country had suffered in aviation mishaps, Nigerians seriously require genuine investigation to unravel those behind the failure in the sector. This is not an area we should be playing politics with. 

According to Daily Trust, the Committee accused the former president and his deputy of diverting BASA Fund meant for the provision of infrastructure in the aviation sector. It went further to say that Obasanjo authorized the withdrawal of $68.8million but that the fund was used for purposes other than that for which it was statutorily meant to address. What was the fund used for? This was not mentioned by Daily Trust. Whether this was a deliberate act of the Committee to conceal the fact or Daily Trust expunged that aspect from its publication is still sketchy. This would have formed a very important aspect of the report because Nigerians are eager to know the truth and nothing but the whole truth. If the former president pocketed the money or utilized it for the failed third term project, it would just have been right to let Nigerians know.

The Fund, according to the report, was under the Presidency and the Federal Ministry of Finance for twelve years. Was it not natural for the president and his deputy to authorize withdrawal? The Committee ought to recommend that the Fund be placed under the direct control of the Ministry if it felt that in doing so the anomaly would be corrected. For Daily Trust to lead with an erroneous headline that Obasanjo and Atiku diverted fund is tantamount to saying that the duo did not have the constitutional right to do what they did. That the previous regimes of Abacha and Abubakar did not make any withdrawal from the Fund is simply because the Fund was not under the control of the presidency then.   

In the same vein, Atiku Abubakar was said to have authorized the withdrawal of $6.9million even though the report did not state that this was used for other purposes.. It seems Atiku¢s sin was just that of authorization. As a sitting vice president then, did he has the mandate to authorize the withdrawal? If the president had, by extension the vice president also had. Therefore, the issue of authorization of withdrawal is a non issue in this matter. What is paramount is the channel to which the fund was committed. Did Atiku pocket the money because he saw his boss did same? Or was Atiku¢s name fraudulently added in the principle of collective responsibility? In other words, is Atiku guilty of all the atrocities committed by Obasanjo? Nigerians need to know.   

It was also reported that the Federal government took a loan of N6.5billion for the Safe Tower Project with huge interest. This happened at a time the Fund had $31.89million in its credit. What Nigerians are interested in is the identity of the person that approved the loan. Why take loan when money was available? Has someone benefited from the high interest charged on the loan? These are the issues that are pertinent in the minds of Nigerians.

Information made available by all the other dailies across the country shows those that were found wanting and hence indicted. Obasanjo and Atiku were not the issue. Roland Iyayi, Fani Kayode, Professor Borisade etc are the culprit and it is just right these people be thoroughly investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for necessary action.

Elder Moses Yohana

No 5, Maiturare Close

Karu New Extension

Karu, Nasarawa State