N255m BMW Cars: There Must Be No Cover-up Here is another opportunity to address the culture of impunity Following the national outrage that greeted the revelations that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) purchased two bullet-proof cars for the Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah, at the cost of N255 million, both the presidency and the National Assembly last week intervened by instituting separate inquiries into the transaction. While the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation has begun its public hearing, President Goodluck Jonathan has also established a three-man administrative panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the purchase of the vehicles. Headed by the immediate past Head of Service, Alhaji Sali Bello Isa, the presidential panel has two weeks to submit its report. However, it is noteworthy that the ongoing House inquiry has already revealed that the two BMW armoured cars and other operational vehicles bought by the NCAA gulped N643 million, a sum which is almost N400 million above the N240 million earmarked for them in the 2013 Appropriation Act. Even though the budget also provided for 25 operational vehicles, reports indicate that the NCAA went on to procure a total of 54 vehicles, including the controversial BMW armoured cars at triple the appropriated cost. Even at that, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) told the House committee that it had no information on the said purchase of the two bullet-proof cars. Yet the law stipulates that procurement from N100 million upwards should be approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC). The role of Coscharis Ltd in this episode highlights an often neglected aspect of the debate about the place of corporate bodies in the growing tales of graft in our country. Yet a nation in which both the commanding heights of the public sector and leading lights of the private sector are enmeshed in some unholy alliances is truly doomed. The present case therefore presents an opportunity for the relevant regulatory bodies to come up with best practices code for companies operating in Nigeria, whether foreign or indigenous. While we hope that the National Assembly will conclude its report and make its findings public so that a closure can quickly be put on this unfortunate saga, we consider it rather curious that the president would set up a panel to probe what ordinarily should be a routine criminal investigation by either the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or the police. What makes the matter even more worrisome is that this government has a penchant for setting up committees on issues but lacks the commitment in taking appropriate decisions. That perhaps may have led to the insinuations that the two-week presidential panel may be no more than another diversionary measure to pre-empt the investigations already being undertaken by the National Assembly. We hope that is not the case. The critical issues in the unfortunate saga are whether it is appropriate for an agency being supervised by the minister to buy cars for her use at such a scandalous price, especially when the specific items were not appropriated for by the National Assembly. But perhaps of concern to many Nigerians is whether the government is not being trivialised if the National Security Adviser could be put in a committee to probe a minister over purchase of some cars. Whatever the motivation for the presidential panel, we believe it should worry the president that this administration is becoming synonymous with mind-boggling scandals involving key officials. From questionable fuel subsidy payments and waivers to official travel racketeering to vehicle purchase scams, etc., there is hardly any day that one official misdemeanour is not unearthed. Yet in nearly all cases, the suspects and their collaborators always retain their positions while hardly any meaningful investigations or prosecutions ever take place. In this particular instance, the evidence is incontrovertible that purchases were made at prices far in excess of the market price of the vehicles while aviation officials who admitted the malfeasance have only offered a litany of excuses and unreasonable justifications. It is therefore our contention that this episode offers the Jonathan presidency an opportunity to prove that it is prepared to begin the process of addressing the culture of impunity.