– New
investigations show that Stella Oduah carried out some fraudulent deals while
serving as minister
– The ex-minister of aviation reportedly
bought an oil tanker for about $13million before she was sacked
– The vessel
the ex-minister bought was built in 2012
A shipping
and merchant vessel documents has emerged which shows that the embattled
ex-minister of aviation Stella Oduah purchased and registered an oil tanker a
few months before she was sacked by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
It will be recalled that Mrs. Oduah, now the Senator from Anambra State, was
sacked by Mr Jonathan in February 2014 following a series of exposes from
Sahara Reporters connecting her to a massive BMW vehicle scandal.
The EFCC
said: “Senator Oduah apparently opened the account with her housemaid’s name,
image, and details without the housemaid knowing about it.”
According to
Sahara Reporters, this latest scandal, which involves the unexplainable
purchase of a massive oil tanker, is connected to Mrs Oduah’s company Sea Petroleum
and Gas Company Ltd.
This company
purchased the vessel SEA STERLING, with call sign 5NXF, and later registered it
in the Port of Lagos.
According to
Sahara Reporters, the Certificate of Classification, by the International
Classification Society, the SEA STERLING was certified and entered in to the
Bureau Veritas Register Book as having unrestricted navigation.
The vessel,
also listed as an Oil tanker on the classification document, was stated as
being owed by Sea Petroleum and Gas Company Ltd with a Nigerian flag. It was
given the registration number 14565J and valid until May 23rd 2017.
The
certificate was issued on August 26th, 2013 at Lagos and later obtained
compliance and insurance accreditation in September 2013.
Mrs Oduah’s
oil tanker, affixed with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) number
9607318, is said to be able to freight 4,126 gross tons. Investigations reveal
that on August 26, 2014 the Sea Sterling was attacked by pirates off the coast
of Bayelsa state but were repelled by security on board.
A SaharaReporters investigation into the
vessel found that it was built in 2012 and is 112 meters long.
One maritime
expert, who SaharaReporters provided the specifications of Mrs Oduah’s oil
tanker to, told our correspondent that “a 6,000 dwt [dead weight] product
tanker built in 2009 was recently sold for $12.2 million.
So a similar sized tanker built in 2012 (like Stella Oduah’s) would probably be valued between $13 and $15 million.” He added that, “this assumes a willing buyer and a willing seller and also depends on the vessels’ condition and the shipyard it was built.”
Source: NAIJ.COM
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