By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Nigeria’s House of Representatives has recommended the purchase of new aircraft for the country’s leader, Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
This recommendation came after its Committee on National Security and Intelligence concluded its investigation into the status of the aircraft in the presidential air fleet.
Heritage Times HT reports that arising from the state of the presidential aircrafts, Tinubu was forced to use a chartered private aircraft during his recent official trips to the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia.
This however attracted the attention of the parliament, fearing that this puts the security of the President at risk and doesn’t speak well of the country to the international community.
Reports has emerged that a presidential jet developed some faults while the President was in the Netherlands in April.
In response to a motion of urgent importance by a lawmaker, Ahmad Satomi, his counterpart and opposition leader in the parliament, Kingsley Chinda however insists that there is nothing wrong with a public official including the President flying commercial jets.
Heritage Times HT also recalls that recently, a faulty presidential jet stopped Vice President Kashim Shettima from attending the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa, raising concerns.
Last December, a presidential aircraft, Falcon 900B, was put up for sale, with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) asking interested persons to submit their bids for the purchase of the aircraft.
“The committee is of the strong and informed opinion that, considering the fragile structure of the Nigerian federation and recognising the dire consequences of any foreseen or unforeseen mishap that may arise as a result of the technical or operational inadequacy of the presidential air fleet, it is in the best interest of the country to procure two additional aircraft as recommended,” the House of Representatives Committee said in its report.
“This will also prove to be most cost-efficient in the long run, apart from the added advantage of providing a suitable, comfortable, and safe carrier befitting of the status and responsibilities of the office of the president and vice-president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
In the East Africa’s Kenya, President William Ruto recently came under criticism for using a hired private jet to fly to US for a meeting with President Joe Biden.
According to him, the hired private plane which cost about 10m shillings [$73,000; £60,000] was not paid from the national but “friends” had offered him the jet when he opted to use the national carrier, the Kenya Airways to save cost.
Ruto went to the US on a three-day official state visit, the first of such trip by an African leader in more than 15 years.
The takeaways of the visit was however dwarfed by his decision to use a luxury jet instead of the national carrier.
