Presidency’s gross defence of private use of presidential jet

IN an incident which provoked instant and widespread outrage recently, Hanan Buhari, the youngest daughter of President Muhammadu Buhari, was  flown in a presidential jet for a private photoshoot during an arranged durbar in Bauchi State. According to reports, she was received at the Tafawa Balewa Airport by the state governor’s wife and other government officials, reportedly leaving the airport in a convoy of about 15 vehicles heading to the Government House. According to Alhaji Ado Dan Rimi (Wakilin Tarihi), the Head of Research in the palace of the Emir of Bauchi, Dr. Rilwanu Adamu, Hanan’s destination, she was in the state for a personal visit. Ado, who conducted the emergency cultural display, said she was in the palace for a photography project as part of the requirements for her postgraduate course. He said: “She is undertaking her project, focusing on our cultural Durbar. She requested for three horses, but we prepared 12 well-decorated horses for her. I was part of those that conducted her round in horse racing and dancing, while she was taking pictures of the event organised within the palace. Though the Durbar is an occasional event done a day after Sallah every year, the Emir can order for its display for very important persons, and you know President Buhari’s daughter is also an important person.”

But no sooner had Nigerians expressed outrage at the apparent profligacy in using a presidential jet that costs the country’s taxpayers colossal sums of money to maintain for a private assignment than the presidency released a statement justifying the absurdity. Garba Shehu,  Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the president, declared that the president’s daughter belonged to the group of special Nigerians entitled to the use of the jet. He said: “It is true that a member of the First Family was flown to Bauchi yesterday on a mission duly authorised. It wasn’t an impromptu or improper trip because it followed normal procedure. The presidency informed the National Security Adviser of the mission, who in turn informed the Commander of the Presidential Air Fleet. The normal practice in existence for a long time is that the Presidential Air Fleet is available to the president and the first family and four others. These four are the vice president, the Senate President, the Speaker and any other person(s) authorised by the president.”

It is indeed true that in democracies, the presidential jet is used at the behest of the president, and that it may, in certain special circumstances, be occupied, at least temporarily, by persons who would otherwise not be entitled to it. But the crucial point is that even in such situations, presidential jets are used for strictly officials duties expected to have serious impact on the national well being. For instance, on September 1, 2005 during the hurricane Katrina crisis in New Orleans, the then US President, George W. Bush Jnr, asked his father, President George H.W. Bush, and President Bill Clinton to assist in the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, allowing them to use Air Force 1 while raising funds to assist the victims. Bush had said at the time: “In the days ahead, the former presidents will ask Americans to open their hearts and their wallets to help those in need. And they’re going to talk to large corporations and small businesses and individual citizens across the nation. The contributions will benefit the relief organisations that are doing vital work on the ground. We’re going to take a look and make sure that the money raised is money needed.”

Indeed, in civilised climes, anything beyond official duties is duly paid for by the president himself, not to talk of members of his family, even after leaving office. In the case under reference, the durbar in question was specially organised for Hanan in her private capacity and, contrary to the lies fed to the public by the Buhari Media Organisation, the president was not on the programme of events. There is therefore no way Hanan could have represented him on that occasion.  Besides, how many durbars have previously been declared open by the president? The release by the presidency the shows that Nigeria has never had such a profligate administration as the current one.

Prior to assuming office, Buhari sought to cultivate the image of a parsimonious and frugal person, openly lambasting the profligacy of previous administrations. Since he assumed office in 2015, however, he has given ample indication of the fact that his administration is not in any way different from the ones he pilloried, and is in fact worse. This is why in reacting to the current controversy, Chidi Odinkalu, a lawyer and former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), submitted that the Buhari administration had been acting outside the lines of integrity. Instructively, even Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, used the economy ticket while on holiday. Pray, if the head of the fifth largest economy in the world travels on the economy ticket, why should the president of the poorest country in the world be allowing his daughter to use the presidential jet for a private photoshoot?

We find the presidency’s action very gross and unspeakable. This level of profligacy is unprecedented in the country. Sadly, Bauchi State, a state with one of the largest numbers of out-of-school children in the country, had enough money to support a special durbar organised for the president’s daughter, receiving her at the airport in a criminally long convoy. Certainly, Nigerians deserve better than this.