Following the public outcry against two armoured BMW cars allegedly purchased by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), for the Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, at the price of N255 million, the Chairman, Automobile and Allied Trade Group of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Osesme Oigiagbe, has said there are no fixed prices for such vehicles.
Although, Oigiagbe chose not to express personal opinion on the allegedly inflated price of the cars which is the source of the Aviation’s industry latest controversy, he explained the methods by which such vehicles are priced.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, via a telephone interview, Oigiagbe said that there are levels of protection for cars ranging from level B1 to B7. The protection levels are incorporated depending on the kind of attack one anticipates from an intruder, hence it is possible for all parts of the vehicle to be armoured, including the car batteries.
“Protection level will determine the cost,” Oigiagbe added.
Furthermore, Oigiagbe who said that the location of the armour retrofitting factory may also determine the cost, went ahead to explain the various factors to be considered in determining the final price of a car that has been re-worked for the purposes of protection.
The cost of the actual car must be considered as a vehicle of choice has to be purchased before it is taken to the armour plant where body parts are taken off and then refitted. This leads to added cost of armouring.
The cost of protection is included which is determined by the level of protection the client desires.
Communication equipment which would be fixed in the vehicle also affects the pricing of the vehicle.
Talking about a general price range for the minimum protection armoured car, Oigiagbe said the price is between N40 million to over N100 million but the high end vehicles are more expensive in countries like Germany where they have high quality and finishing costs.
“You can have the retrofitting portion of that armour running from over £150,000 (N32,690,328.44) in addition to the cost of the vehicle.”
On the mode of importation of such vehicles, Oigiagbe disclosed that such cannot be done in Nigeria without the approval of National Security Adviser.
Application for such approvals must contain the vehicle’s vitals numbers and codes as well as a statement on the purpose for which the vehicle will be used.
