Beyond Probes Into Bullet Proof Cars’ Purchase

Time and again well-informed legal
luminaries and indeed concerned
Nigerians have repeatedly warned that the greatest incentive to crime is the hope of escaping punishment. It will therefore, be trite to hold that the increasing cases of official corruption in public offices, might not be totally removed from the absence of a concrete reward and punishment platform that serves as check on financial indiscretion by public officers.
Not too long ago, a pensions fund scam that ran into billions of Naira, had culprits merely tapped on the shoulder with fines that made a total mockery of the legal provision called plea bargain. Months earlier a similar probe into the country’s fuel subsidy regime had exposed rogue marketers who shortchanged Nigeria through sharp practices.
Yet, along the same period, an influential member of the House of Representatives was caught in the web of alleged corrupt enrichment through the demand and receipt of bribe in the course of exercise of his oversight functions over the executive arm. After the familiar initial denials, buck passing, blame game and protests of likely set-up by other public officials not much has been heard of the outcome of the countless inquiries into that saga.
But perhaps the most amusing of the vicious circle of deceit is the lingering impasse between the Executive arm and the lower Chamber of the National Assembly, the House of Representatives concerning the removal from office of the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Ms Aruma Oteh over alleged mismanagement of public funds. That followed Oteh’s allegations that members of the House Committee charged with the over-sight of her institution, among others, had demanded and partly received freebies, the non-payment of the rest, informed the negative report on her person and establishment.
In all these examples, probes were conducted and culprits identified. What has been lacking is the needed political will and judicial drive required to punish the culpable in the  fight against corruption.
This is why The Tide is worried, a fresh scandal over the purchase of bullet proof cars by the  Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for the Aviation Minister, Ms Stella Oduah and other operational vehicles at a whooping N643 million. This was in spite of the fact that the 2013 Budget appropriated on N240 million for the purchase of 25 operational vehicles for NCAA. Already, the expose has raised so much buzz in the public domain, apparently in expectation that the outcome of probes into this matter, this time, would be different from others before it.
The Tide is reluctant to pre-judge anyone of wrong doing since both the National Assembly and the Presidency; the Aviation Minister’s immediate employers have instituted probes into the matter. Infact, the House of Representatives’ Committee on Aviation has since commenced hearing and receiving of presentations from stakeholders, with a view to arriving at a just end.
Sadly, these noble efforts are being reduced to ethnic rivalry and politicking as various sponsored groups’ daily protest in favour or against the embattled Aviation Minister, thus trivializing an issue as important as graft and or financial indiscretion. Also worrisome are comments of some high ranking public officials from whom final judgement is awaited, publicly vilifying the ‘suspect’ even before conclusion of the investigations.
The Tide therefore urges the National Assembly and all other investigating bodies to live aboard in the quest for the truth concerning the ill-timed purchase of bullet proof cars allegedly without following due process and or obtaining relevant security clearance certificate from the Chief Security Adviser to the President as required by law. They must avoid the temptation to prejudge anyone and see their assignments as vital public responsibility meant to break the vicious circle of corruption.
In the end, The Tide expects the Federal Government to implement recommendations in reports of the various public institutions now probing the matter. The outcome must not be swept under the carpet as was the case in previous instances.
Unless the Federal Government acts in a decisive manner, public confidence in its ability to fight corruption will continue to be eroded. A corrupt society can neither provide for the poor, nor protect the rich. That is the ultimate end when the incitement to crime – silence remains official response to issues of corruption.