Release of Funds to Consultants

My predecessor in office Professor Babalola Borishade gave an approval that N506,328,337.00 should be paid to a group of consultants who had done some work for FAAN on the issue of airports in the country. This money was to be paid from the Intervention Fund based on his earlier approval. Subsequent to a further application and representation from FAAN to me and after consultations with the Presidential Committee on Aviation, I approved that the money be released to FAAN for that purpose.
Consequently N506,328,337.00 was approved and released to FAAN for re-engineering which included airport fencing and outsourcing programme from the intervention fund.
However, upon my insistence that due process must be followed (which was clearly minuted on the approval that I gave) before this money should be released to the relevant consultants, the Director of Finance of FAAN, Mr. Jerry Onifade pointed out to me that he could not trace due process in the award of this contract. This clearly showed that it would have been wrong for us to pay the consultants the money they were claiming and which had been approved by my predecessor Prof. Babalola Borishade and then later on by me.
Consequently, I directed the Director of Finance for FAAN and the Managing Director of FAAN that under no circumstances should that money be released to the consultants. As a result of my directive, this money was still intact and safely in the bank account of FAAN at the time of my departure. I would urge the Hon. Minister of State for Aviation to direct FAAN to pay that money N506,328.337.00 back into the Intervention Fund account forthwith.
Unfortunately, all this information about lack of due process concerning this contract was brought to my attention just before I left office and had I remained in office that money would have been returned to the intervention fund account immediately.