by Musa Achimugu

Why is there so much emphasis on the cost of the cars? N255 million is not even enough to feed our president for just 15 days; N255 million is not enough for our Vice President to read his newspapers; N255 million cannot maintain our presidential jets for 10 days; N255 million is not enough for our National Assembly for one day. So what is the fuss about N255 million?

Over the past few weeks, the nation’s media have been awash with stories about the N255 million bullet-proof cars purchased for the Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authorities, NCAA. The controversy has come to be known as Oduahgate.

Clearly, as with most things Nigerian, sides have been formed. While some people swear that Ms. Oduah is the best thing that has ever happened to Nigeria’s aviation industry, and that she is being victimised as a result of her bold steps to correct the ills she inherited in that sector, others are determined to see her sacked for blatant corruption.

Before now, the stellar performance of Ms. Oduah had gained mythical proportions. She was alleged to have transformed the Aviation industry on a massive scale, and given teeth to the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, which was then just a few months old. If the publicity machine was to be believed, all the airports in Nigeria now wore a new and modern look, that was glaring for all to see – never mind that planes were falling from the skies.

China, having seen the good works of the Minister, begged Nigeria to obtain $500 million (N79 billion) from it, as part of its contribution to this transformation. Nigeria also secured a historical Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement, BASA, with Israel due to Ms. Oduah’s sterling performance.

Yet, there were those who said her airport transformation project was a cover-up for monumental corruption. The naysayers pointed to the allegations of graft, over-inflated contracts, allocation of funds for multiple sham contracts, awards of contract without regard for due process, nepotism, her forcing operators to buy exorbitant aviation fuel from her company and failing to ensure the safety of air travellers. The ‘bad belle’ people also blamed the recent surge in plane crashes to her ineffectiveness, when they should have seen it for what it was – an act of God.

Not surprisingly, some people, even groups, have come out in stout defence of the the Minister. The argument cuts across a wide spectrum, from the reasonable or persuasive, to the utterly ridiculous.

While it can be debated that her revocation of the irregular concession agreements – which were serving the interest of the concessionaires alone and ruining our collective patrimony – have made her powerful enemies who would think nothing of besmearing her person, it is, however, ridiculous to bring her ethnic group into the equation as she has done. It is even more bizarre for a group to suggest that purchasing the said cars for N255 million was done to provide adequate security for our airports.

The noise and the nonsense from both sides have been too much.

The propriety of acquiring such expensive gadgets have been questioned by many Nigerians, some of whom note that the official vehicle of the United States President, Barack Obama, is not as expensive as that, and that the cars could be bought for a quarter of that amount.

The morality of acquiring just two cars for N255 million in a country with a subjective poverty index of about 94%, where students have been at home for about four months because of government’s inability to honour an agreement, has been questioned. The legality of a parastatal under the ministry buying such expensive cars for the use of the Minister has also been questioned.

But I ask, what is the fuss about N255 million?

Why is there so much emphasis on the cost of the cars? N255 million is not even enough to feed our president for just 15 days; N255 million is not enough for our Vice President to read his newspapers; N255 million cannot maintain our presidential jets for 10 days; N255 million is not enough for our National Assembly for one day. So what is the fuss about N255 million?

I think we are not asking the right questions and we are putting wrong emphasis on the cost of the cars.

I’d rather ask the following questions:

1. How much was appropriated for the purchase of operational vehicles by NCAA for 2013?
2. How many vehicles was the said sum appropriated for?
3. How much has been committed to the purchase of operational vehicles in 2013, whether by actual cash or lease financing?
4. Is there a differential between the appropriated sum and the committed sum?
5. If there is a differential, who approved it?
6. Was the person that gave such approval authorised by law and the Nigerian constitution to grant such?
7. Is there a ceiling on the maximum contract sum that can be awarded by a parastatal of government, above which permission must be sought and obtained from the Federal Executive Council, FEC?
8. Did NCAA at any time award a contract above this ceiling in the purchase of their operational vehicles?
9. Did they seek the permission of FEC and obtain it before they awarded those contracts?
10. Can the Minister act on behalf of FEC to approve spending above the ceiling?
11. Is it mandatory that the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, be involved in the award of all government contracts?
12. Was the BPP involved in the purchase of the operational vehicles by NCAA?
13. Is there government approved due process in the award of contracts?
14. Did the NCAA follow due process in awarding contracts for the purchase of its operational vehicles?
15. Is it compulsory to seek and obtain permission of security agencies before bringing in security vehicles to Nigeria?
16. Was such permission sought and obtained before the NCAA purchased the security vehicles?
17. Where are the operational vehicles purchased by NCAA?
18. Would a crime be committed if an official of government contravenes a law while acting in the ‘overriding interest of the masses’?

These for me are questions we should be asking, instead of fussing over N255 million.

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