₦40m Vehicle, ₦80m Invoice: Plateau Owes Its People Answers
By Solomon Dalung, Esq.
Dr Cosmas Maduka has made a serious allegation concerning the procurement of vehicles by a former Governor of Plateau State.
According to Maduka, vehicles worth about ₦40 million were allegedly to be invoiced at ₦80 million. He said he refused to participate in the proposed arrangement, which he described as money laundering.
Maduka did not name the governor involved. However, from the description he gave, the allegation appears to point to the administration immediately preceding that of Governor Caleb Mutfwang — the administration of former Governor Simon Lalong.
That allegation, by itself, is not enough to convict anyone. A television statement is not a judicial finding, and those implicated are entitled to respond.
But an allegation of this magnitude should not simply disappear without scrutiny.
There is, for instance, a documented procurement history during the Lalong administration. In 2021, the Plateau State Government approved the purchase of 50 patrol pickup vans and 200 motorcycles for security agencies, with the vehicles subsequently procured and publicly commissioned.
The important question, therefore, is not whether Plateau State purchased vehicles. It did.
The question is whether any government vehicle procurement during the period involved the kind of price manipulation alleged by Maduka.
That is a matter for documents, procurement records and credible investigation — not political speculation.
If a vehicle genuinely worth ₦40 million was allegedly charged to government at ₦80 million, there should be a procurement trail capable of establishing the actual purchase price, the amount ultimately paid by government, the parties involved and, most importantly, what happened to any difference.
Conversely, if Maduka's allegation relates to a different transaction, then the specific transaction should be identified so that the public can properly understand what he was referring to.
Dr Cosmas Maduka should therefore stand by his allegation and provide whatever documentary or other details he can legitimately disclose.
The former Plateau State administration should also have the opportunity to respond fully to the allegation.
Public procurement cannot operate on the assumption that government will pay whatever figure appears on an invoice without questions being asked.
₦40 million does not become ₦80 million simply because government is paying the bill.
If public funds were ever used to create such a ₦40 million difference, Plateau people deserve to know how it happened, who authorised it, who benefited and whether the transaction complied with procurement law.
This is not merely about Simon Lalong or any individual politician.
It is about a broader principle of public accountability: when public officials and private businesses enter into transactions involving public money, every naira must be capable of being explained.
The appropriate response to such an allegation is therefore neither automatic condemnation nor convenient silence.
It is evidence, transparency and, where necessary, an independent investigation.
Plateau deserves the truth.