Presido Bola Ahmed Tinubu jet out to France on Monday for inside di new presidential aircraft wey im administration just buy.
Checks by BBC show say di new aircraft land for Nigeria on Sunday, August 18, 2024, so dat Tinubu go fit take am travel.
Bayo Onanuga, one of di senior tok-tok pesins for Tinubu say, “di new Airbus A330, go replace di 19-year-old Boeing B737-700(BBJ) wey dem buy under di presidency of President Olusegun Obasanjo”.
But plenty tok-tok don follow dis new development, especially for a time wen di Nigeria economy dey struggle and pipo for di kontri dey face serious hardship and hunger.
Anoda issue wey dey raise concern na weda di presidency get approval from di Nigeria Senate bifor dem buy di new jet, as e suppose be according to di law.
Di new Airbus A330-200
Checks wey BBC do show say di new presidential jet dey 15-years old.
Dem first deliver di plane to one Saudi Arabia company – Midroc Aviation – for 2009, and dem later sell am to AMAC Aerospace for Sweden in 2021, bifor di Nigeria goment buy am.
Di plane bin dey for di Basle Mulhouse Freiburg Airport since May until dem carry am enta Nigeria on August 18, 2024.
Dem bin advertise di plane for one website – Aircraft24 – wia dem dey sell and buy airplanes, according to one tori by Bloomberg.
“Di new plane dey spacious and e get state-of-di-art avionics, customized interior and communications system,” Oga Onanuga tok.
Di purchase get Senate approval?
For June dis year, wen di president bin send a supplementary budget to di National Assembly for approval, tori bin go round dat time say money for a new presidential aircraft dey inside dat budget, but di Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, bin deny am.
“I don read di president correspondences to us and e no get anything touching on plane or no plane, but I fit tell you say wen you hear stories like di death of di vice president of Malawi as a a result of defective plane, and you hear stories like di death of di president of Iran as a result of defective aircraft, we no go ever dream to allow dat to be our portion.
“Na anticipatory blackmail by tatafo pipo bicos dem know say something like dat fit come bifor us for di future, and if e dey necessary, we go look into am. But nothing like dat dey bifor us right now,” Akpabio bin tok dat time.
No reports comot again wit regard to approval for di new presidential jet.
Di next tori wey concern Nigeria presidential jets na last week wen tori break say court don permit one Chinese company – Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd – to seize three Nigeria presidential jets for France.
According to dat tori, di court order na bicos of wahala wey dey between di China company and di goment of Ogun State sake of cancelled contract.
Di China company later release one of di aircrafts, wey tori say na be di one wey Tinubu carry travel, in a gesture to show say “we consistently dey seek to act reasonably and fairly for dis court case”.
Onanuga statement on Monday, tok say “na di Nigerian Senate security and intelligence committee bin recommend replacing di ageing aircraft for di presidential fleet to reduce downtime and operational expenses”.
E no dey clear wen di Senate committee give dis recommendation. BBC don reach out to di National Assembly for comment.
‘Extremely insensitive’ – Opposition leaders react
Wen di tori bin break say di senate dey consider approving a new plane for di president, Peter Obi, di presidential candidate of di Labour Party for di 2023 election, bin describe am as “extreme insensitivity”.
“Wit rising insecurity, poverty, hunger, and homelessness, dis decision don highlight di disconnect between di goment and di pipo. E dey unacceptable bicos di situation for di kontri today demand more compassionate use of resources, and to prioritise citizens welfare,” Obi tok.
But Onanuga accuse Obi say e dey wish di president dead afta wetin don happen to di vice president of Malawi.
Also, afta di tori about how di China Company seize Nigeria three aircrafts, Obi say di development na “national embarrassment”.
Likewise, officials of di opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) don also criticise di buying of a new airplane for di president.
“Despite di hardship for di country and di ongoing economic crisis, di inept APC goment don remain deaf to di pleas of Nigerians, yet dem don go buy anoda aircraft for a fleet wey don already get no fewer dan nine presidential aircraft,” Ibrahim Abdullahi, di PDP Deputy Publicity Secretary, tok.
Remember say di Nigerian presidency bin also include one provision of five billion naira to buy a “presidential yacht” for di 2023 supplementary budget.
But di presidency later explain say na “operational naval boat” dem wan buy and na former Presido Muhammadu Buhari bin order for am.
“President Tinubu don consistently tok say goment na continuum as e inherit both assets and liabilities of past administrations,” di statement bin tok dat time.
