The minister’s spokesperson said the vehicles are ‘protection from external threats.’

After initial efforts by aviation officials to dismiss as mere rumours the purchase of multi million naira vehicles for Stella Oduah, Nigeria’s Aviation Minister, the ministry, Wednesday, confirmed the purchase.

Joe Obi, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, said that the two armoured BMW cars were to protect his boss from “imminent threats.”

“Yes, it is true that some security vehicles were procured for the use of the office of the honourable minister in response to the clear and imminent threat to her personal security and life following the bold steps she took to reposition the sector,” Mr. Obi told the Punch newspaper, on Wednesday.

“When she came on board as the minister, she inherited a lot of baggage in terms of concession and lease agreements in the sector, which were clearly not in the interest of the government and people of Nigeria,” Mr. Obi continued.

“And so, she took bold steps and some of these agreements were reviewed and some were terminated, and these moves disturbed some entrenched interests in the sector, and within this period, she began to receive imminent threats to her life; therefore, the need for the vehicles,” he added.

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