Reps Uncover Second Jet Alison-Madueke Used For Private And Official Trips

Indications appeared on Tuesday that Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, maintained a second jet, which she allegedly used for private and official trips abroad. It has been gathered that a return trip on such a XRS plane cost taxpayers 600,000 euro. Meanwhile the first discovered jet, the Challenger 850, was said to have gulped N10bn in the last two years to fly the minister. Punch has gathered that the House Committee on Public Accounts came across the second jet in the course of the ongoing probe into the N10bn expenditure on Challenger 850. Interestingly, the owners of Challenger 850 have probable fled Nigeria as soon as the House ordered an investigation into the transaction between them and Alison-Madueke and asked for assistance. Although it had been previously reported that the committee would summon the owners of the plane to testify before it, now it seems hardly possible. Confirming the incident, the Chairman of the committee, Mr. Solomon Olamilekan, said that he was “shocked by the latest information”. The official also confirmed the information about the uncovering of a second jet. According to him, they are currently trying to establish how many trips it made outside the country. Punch journalist managed to obtain a document, which provides that Alison-Madueke flew in Global Express XRS on two occasions in 2011 and chartered the same jet twice in 2013 on a return trip bill of €600,000 per trip. Abuja lawmakers angrily wonder how it is possible for a serving minster to travel as the expense of the country taxpayers. One of them, who pleaded anonymity, inquired: “Where is the law that authorises a government minister to be flying around the world in chartered private jets? You are going to London, why did you not not use the British Airways or any other international airline?” It would be recalled that Alison-Madueke is accused of spending about 500,000 euro monthly to maintain the first aircraft.