DEFENCE MINISTRY DEFIES PRESIDENCY

THE award of contract for the procurement of 10,000 bulletproof vests and 10,000 bulletproof helmets for the use of members of the Special Task Forces (STF) prosecuting the war against Boko Haram insurgents to foreign firm is creating tension in the Ministry of Defence.

Sunday Tribune learnt that the award of the contract, which President Goodluck Jonathan had promised  DICON/MARON Ballistics factory located in Kaduna, jointly owned by government and a private concern, was causing a furore among top government officials and officials of DICON, who felt slighted that some individuals could flagrantly disobey the president’s directive by awarding the contract to a foreign firm at a huge cost to the country. 

While alleging underhand dealings in the award of the contract, they noted that failure by the Ministry of Defence and other services to patronise the factory for bulletproof vests, helmets and night vision equipment could force the company to close shop. They, therefore, threatened to take their case to the Presidency.

A few weeks ago, at the Nigerian Army Transformation and Innovation Seminar 2013, which was held at the Command Officers Mess, Abuja, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Azubuike Ihejirika, had disclosed that he would be taking delivery of 10,000 units of bulletproof vests and 10,000 bullet proof helmets from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) for the use of troops taking part in various operations in the country.  

Sunday Tribune recalls that President Jonathan, at the inauguration of the DICON factory on 2 July, 2012, had expressed satisfaction with the quality of the equipment being manufactured at the company and directed the services and the Nigeria Police to, from then, patronise it.

The president had noted then that apart from the huge foreign investment injected into the establishment of the factory by Maron Dolphin, a large number of Nigerians were employed and that the expertise in the manufacturing of military equipment would  be passed on to the country.

Sunday Tribune gathered authoritatively that Maron Dolphin has 65 per cent shares in the joint venture partnership, while the Ministry of Defence, the Defence Headquarters, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy and Airforce combined, have 35 per cent stake in the factory.

While suggesting the likelihood of underhand dealings, sources wondered why the defence officials would reject equipment approved to have met global standard and at a lesser cost for costilier foreign ones. 

Sunday Tribune gathered that recently, 2,000 bullet proof vests were procured from a foreign manufacturer for the Nigerian Navy at a cost of N395 million by the Defence Ministry. It would have cost government N244 million to procure the equipment from DICON.

In a memo, MOD/JSD/PARA/153, dated 28 November, 2012 and signed by one E. B. Olowosejeje for the Minister of Defence, a copy of which Sunday Tribune has seen, the Ministry of Defence confrmed the receipt of proposals from such companies as Pentagon Group of Companies, Moon Rock Nigeria Limited and Oil Response Limited, among others, for the supply of military equipment after which some of them were given the contracts to import bulletproof vests from abroad.

Sunday Tribune learnt that the unit price of bullet proof jackets by DICON is $700 dollars (N122, 000). But military authorities were discovered to have procured the equipment for between N165, 000 and N197, 000 per unit from the foreign firms.

In 2012, pursuant to President Jonathan’s directive, the Defence Headquarters, then headed by Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, ordered some 3,500 units of the bulletproof jackets from DICON/MAROM, and the equipment wwere supplied at a cost of N120, 000 per unit totaling N280 million.

The Nigerian Airforce also ordered the supply of 1,000 units of the bulletproof vests and DICON supplied the equipment at the cost of N122,000 per unit, while Ondo State government placed order for 500 units of the fragmented jacket with ceramic plate and it was supplied at the cost of N125,000 per unit.

However, contrary to provision of Section 24 of the 2007 Procurement Act that; “the winning bid shall be the lowest evaluated responsive bid,” the Bureau Of Public Procurement had granted approval for the Ministry of Police Affairs in its letter, BPP/S.1/12/SP/VOL. 111/059, to procure “the Tropical Bulletproof vest level 111A with ballistic ceramic plate as offered by Messrs Beks Kimse because the unit cost of $980.69, which it quoted per unit, is fair and reasonable.

 “In view of the foregoing due process, ‘No Objection’ is hereby granted to the Ministry of Police Affairs to procure 2,600 units bulletproof vest with ballistic ceramic plates in favour of Messrs Beks Kimse at the cost of US$2, 549, 800.00 inclusive of freight charges,” it said.

Source: Tribune