NASS and controversy over new presidential jets

For a while there’s been unending discuss by the national assembly about the purchase of new presidential jets. Kehinde Akintola x-rays the issues surrounding the purchase request for new presidential jets in addition to the 10 aircraft already in the fleet.

IT is no longer news, that the 10th session of the National Assembly is faced with another litmus test of integrity and sincerity of purpose towards a majority of the hunger – stricken 230 million Nigerian electorate. As encapsulated in the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the elected members of federal parliament are saddled with the sole responsibility of protecting the interests of the common man, specifically by ensuring that the sitting government prioritises the welfare and security of the

citizens across the country. Their actions and responses toward the insatiable appetite for luxurious amenities by the current ruling class at the federal level have, however, proved contrary.

One could imagine the approvals granted to various budgetary provisions for expenditures for procurement of multi-billion-naira vehicles for high-flying political office holders, starting from the president and his vice; Chief of Staff to the President; Chief Security Officer, among others.

For a country where over 133 million out of over 200 million live in abject poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, food insecurity, insurgency, high maternal and child mortality rate, huge infrastructural deficit and economic downturn, high inflation rate and cost of living, one could imagine the justification for the planned procurement of the controversial N5 billion presidential yacht captured in the N2.1 trillion 2023 supplementary budget proposed by the present administration.

While still grappling with the painful socioeconomic challenges caused by the removal of fuel subsidy, hike in electricity tariff, closure of land borders has continued to erode the purchasing powers of average Nigerians, most of whom live under poverty level. Rather than working towards reducing the already bogus cost of governance, it is nostalgic to note that the quest for luxurious amenities, such as new presidential aircraft, motor vehicles, among others, remains a priority to the current democratically elected political class in Nigeria.

Extracted portions of the 2023 supplementary budget showed that a whopping sum of N28 billion was approved for the State House. Out of the amount, N2.900 billion was for purchase of Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs); N2.900 billion for replacement of operational pool vehicles; N4 billion is for renovation of residential quarters for the president; N2.5 billion for renovation of Aguda House; N200 million is for computerisation and digitalization of the State House, while the sum of N1.5 billion is for purchase of official vehicles for office of the First Lady.

Also, from the N28.777 trillion Appropriation Act approved by the National Assembly for 2024, under the capital expenditure for the State House headquarters, the sum of N6 billion was approved for purchase of unspecified number of vehicles (23010105); additional sum of N9.200 billion for annual routine maintenance of mechanical/electrical installations of the Villa; N351.065 million for purchase of tyres for bulletproof vehicles, plain cars, CCU vehicles, platform trucks, Jeeps, Ambulances and other Utility and operational vehicles ((ERGP7103741). All of these were tagged as ongoing. For the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, the sum of N290,606,844 was approved for purchase of motor vehicles ((ERGP7201346), categorised as new.

For the office of the Chief Security Officer to the President, N70,710,000 for motor vehicles fuel cost while N78,865,060 was approved for purchase of unspecified number of motor vehicles (ERGP7102092).

State House Liaison office also got N75,674,424 for motor vehicle fuel cost and N100 million for purchase of unspecified number of motor vehicles (provision of treated vehicles, ambulance, coaster buses, SUVs (8 Prado SUVs) for Presidential/VIP movements) for year 2024

The recent hullabaloo on the planned procurement of multi-million-dollar presidential jet started mildly when Chairman, House Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Hon. Satomi Ahmed, raised a motion seeking to “investigate the airworthiness of all aircraft in the Presidential Fleet to forestall unwarranted national tragedy” on Wednesday, 15th May, 2024. The motion which generated a lot of sentiments across political divides, as some of the lawmakers expressed grave concerns over use of chartered flight for the president and the vice-president, despite multi-billion-naira budgetary allocations approved for maintenance of the 10 aircraft in the presidential fleet on yearly basis.

While leading the motion, Ahmed said it was a great security risk for the presidential fleet, which is under the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), to be having faulty aircraft that will be forcing the president and vice-president to opt for commercial flights.

He specifically frowned on the report on various media platforms, particularly Sahara Reporters of 28 April 2024 which claimed that President Tinubu was forced to travel to Saudi Arabia on a chartered flight for the World Economic Forum in Riyadh from The Netherlands where he had gone for a series of economic and diplomatic engagements because the presidential jet developed fault in The Netherlands.

He also lamented over a similar report which indicated that a faulty presidential jet which occurred on Monday, 6th May, 2024 aborted Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s trip to the United States of America for the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit in Dallas Texas.

Rather than putting the public interest first by addressing various concerns raised by Hon. Ahmed, Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda and others, the motion was stepped down, despite stiff opposition from the leadership of the Minority Caucus on the subject matter.

However, as the issue continues to generate heated debates in the polity, the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to douse the tension, had on the 25th June, 2024 denied reports doing rounds on the issue, attributing the ruckus over the issue to propagandists and fifth columnists.

Unresolved Agitation of Labour Unions for a Living Wage

Amidst all of this is the Labour Unions’ agitation for a new national minimum wage against the biting economic pang. The organised labour’s spirited, unfortunately, has remained unresolved. While the subnational governments under the aegis of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) unanimously proposed N62,000, the organised labour which initially demanded for N494,000 later reduced it to N250,000. The organised labour is being represented at the negotiation table by the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Unions Congress (TUC).

For now, the issue of procurement of aircraft for the president and his deputy amid growing hunger and deprivations in the country remains a burning one among the populace. With different reports indicating that a deal had been brokered on the purchase of aircraft and confirmation and denials by officials of government, it is uncertain in which direction the government would go. But the question most political analysts are asking is why the government would prefer to continue to enlarge the presidential fleet? There are 10 aircraft in the fleet already and they are consuming a fortune in maintenance. Why couldn’t the lawmakers and presidency officials eager to spend the country’s depleting fortune on two new aircraft seek a cheaper alternative: dispose unneeded ones and buy new ones?

Nigerians wait to see how the drama will play out.

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