Armoured cars purchase scandal:-How the deal on the $1.6m BMW cars was sealed

More facts emerged, at the weekend, lending credence to the claim that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) may have bought the two controversial $1.6 million (approximately N255 million) BMW bullet proof cars for the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, amid the parastatal's precarious financial situation.

Sunday Vanguard learnt that the NCAA did not have the cash backing and hence the deal with Coscharis Motors and First Bank of Nigeria to finance the purchase was negotiated on hire purchase basis.

"There is no way NCAA could have raised that kind of money in one lump sum. Therefore when the pressure became unbearable that the vehicles had to be bought for the minister, the only option open to us was to explore how it could be done on hire purchase", an NCAA source said.

The source said the deal was sealed based on anticipatory payment.

Explaining why the minister zeroed-in on NCAA to buy the vehicles, the source explained that it is one of the hard currency generating aviation agencies and payment for the vehicles was denominated in dollars.

"NCAA is in this trouble because we are one of the hard currency generating aviation agencies. That is why the minister zeroed-in on us to buy the two cars because we were made to understand that payment had to be made in dollars," the source said.

"But it wasn't as if the NCAA could afford to pay for the cars, being expensive as they are. We have many issues contending for funds including training of staff abroad on aircraft air worthiness and so on.

"We entered into anticipating payment for the cars such that the payment is spreed over a period of time based on our projections. The source explained that it may take several months for the parastatal to fully pay for the vehicles."

Meanwhile, the exact cost of the two controversial BMW cars for the Aviation Minister, at the weekend, remained shrouded in secrecy.

Experts said the cost of the two cars should not have been more than $400,000 including freight charges as against the $1.6 million paid by the NCAA.

The insinuation was that the vehicles were grossly over-priced.

Efforts to get Coscharis Motors, the BMW representative in Nigeria, to speak on the matter proved abortive as the president of the company, Dr. Cosmas Maduka, was said to be on a foreign trip to South-Africa and China.

A Coscharis source said, "I am not competent to speak on the matter because the issue of armoured vehicles is strictly not for every staff, as most customers would not like people to know that their vehicles are armoured. It is usually confidential."

In the mean time, an expert argued that given the level of insecurity in the country, there was nothing wrong in armouring a vehicle for a minister especially given the part of the country the Aviation Minister comes from, saying what was worrisome was the amount being quoted for the two vehicles for Oduah.

Vanguard

Indications emerged Sunday night that the Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, is currently fighting with both teeth and tongue in order to save her job.

It was learnt that the troubled Minister within the last days had been seeking private audience with President Goodluck Jonathan for one on one chat over the ongoing crisis in the aviation sector.

Sources said that Miss Oduah was spotted at the Presidential Villa in Abuja during the weekend looking so troubled and shattered, following the calls by Nigerians for her immediate removal over the acquisition of two BMW bulletproof cars for her official use.

A close insider who was present during Oduah’s visit to the Villa, told Punch that she “wanted to explain herself to the President, who like every Nigerian, was embarrassed by the media reports and the evidence of the purchase of the two cars at an outrageous sum of N255m.”

The source added that, “She was here (Villa) on Friday but like you know, Mr. President was busy throughout the weekend.”

Asked if Oduah eventually saw Mr. president, the source said, “I cannot tell for sure if the Minister who looked worried saw him or not.”

Contrary to media reports that Oduah would appear before the Senate this week for questioning, the source said it was not true, noting that the Minister only came to the Villa to beg the president and others to help save her job.

na wa for all this shouting and shouting about N255million. This woman is very rich and  can buy those cars with her own money. Abeg make them free the woman joor and stop diverting news here and there, very soon another one will come up and we will forget about this one