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.... ....   Home  |  Cover Stories  |  National Newsreel  |  Politics  |  Business  |  Sports  |  World  | Contact  | Advert Rates  Towards a better life for the people Search The Archives   Cover Stories National News South West Niger Delta South East North Politics Business Sports World Viewpoints Features   HAJJ: FG committee queries SAHCOL over spending of $152, 810.00 By Kenneth Ehigiator Monday, October 04, 2004 LAGOS—THE inter-ministerial committee set up by the Federal Government to investigate the Skypower Aviation Handling  Company Limited’s (SAHCOL) handling of this year’s Hajji operations has queried the company’s spending of $152,810.00  on the operations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, when it has no business with that end of the operations. SAHCOL, a subsidiary of liquidated Nigeria Airways, now taken over by the Aviation Ministry, won the deal to handle the  ground handling in Nigeria of airlines selected for the airlift of Muslim pilgrims for 2004 Hajj by the Federal Government. Not satisfied with the company’s spending on the Hajj operations, the presidency directed the Aviation Ministry, Malam Isa  Yuguda, to set up the ministerial committee early in the year to dig into SAHCOL’s spendings on the Hajj operations and submit  report to it, but several months after the committee completed its assignment, the minister is yet to submit its report SAHCOL management under the leadership of Alhaji Salihu Bello as general manager, claimed to have spent the sum of  $52,810.00 in the following order - $17,810 as duty travel allowance (DTA); $30,000 as public relations or operational  expenses and $5,000 on accommodation for staff in Jeddah. But the committee observed in its report that since the company’s team was not in Jeddah, having been appointed to handle the  Hajj operations handling on the home front, its claims were spurious. The committee’s report said: “SAHCOL has no operations in Jeddah and was not responsible for the uplift of pilgrims, hence  did not send any staff to Jeddah to have warranted such expenses. “Mr. Bello and other staff took $17,000 to Jeddah as DTA. Assuming Bello spent 30 days in Jeddah (which in itself is not  justified) his total DTA due to him is $6, 745 at SAHCOL rate of $210 per night, including $445 entertainment allowance. What  did he use the fund for since no staff went to Jeddah?” The report said since there was no SAHCOL operations in Jeddah, there was no need for the $30,000 claimed to have been  expended on public relations and other expenses in the Holy City.   Home  |  Cover Stories  |  National Newsreel  |  Politics  |  Business  |  Sports  |  World  | Contact  | Advert Rates © 1998- 2004. Vanguard Media Ltd.

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