Stella Oduah

In October 2013, Stella Oduah, Nigeria's Minister of Aviation under President Goodluck Jonathan, became embroiled in a major corruption scandal involving the purchase of two armored BMW vehicles worth ₦255 million for the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). The vehicles were allegedly procured without proper authorization and at inflated prices, sparking public outrage and calls for her resignation. Oduah initially denied wrongdoing but faced mounting pressure from civil society groups and opposition politicians.

Oduah had been appointed Aviation Minister in 2011 with a mandate to reform Nigeria's troubled aviation sector, which had suffered from poor safety records and infrastructure challenges. Her tenure initially showed promise with efforts to improve airport facilities and aviation safety standards. However, the BMW scandal exposed deeper issues of procurement irregularities and lack of oversight in government agencies, reflecting broader governance challenges that had plagued successive Nigerian administrations since the return to democracy in 1999.