The House of Representatives Committee on Public Assets says it will probe alleged sales of two training helicopters by the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Kaduna.
Ademorin Kuye, the committee chairman, said in a statement in Abuja on Monday. The chairman said the committee’s attention was drawn to the development through media reports on Sunday on the purported sale of 2 Bell 206L-3 helicopters.
He said the helicopters were public assets acquired for training pilots by the NCAT for N1.2 billion.
“The sale of the helicopters under the pretext of underutilisation by the authorities of the college of aviation in March 2023 has now become a symptom of the worrying trend of asset stripping,” stated Mr Kuye.
According to him, this cut across all sectors of the economy by all MDAs toward the twilight of the last administration.
“This is in spite of the offer of Nigerian Navy to acquire same and possibly use to address the security challenge facing the country in the area of oil pipeline vandalisation and crude oil theft,” added the legislator.
Mr Kuye said the committee equally felt the assets could have been converted to the use of Nigerian Police to fight banditry and insurgency in the country.
He said the urgency in the sales and concession of public assets at the twilight of the last administration called for suspicion since the supposed approval was gotten from that administration.
The lawmaker added that it was only right that the new administration is allowed to be part of the completion of the sale process if there were no hidden agenda.
He said the committee would investigate the sale of those important training national assets to ensure that due process was followed and that the country was not shortchanged in the deal.
