By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called on the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to be transparent about the details surrounding the newly acquired presidential jet and the status of the older jets that are being sold off.
Obi made his appeal on Tuesday night via his X (formerly Twitter) account, where he raised concerns over the recent acquisition of the Airbus A330 jet by the Nigerian government.
The purchase of the jet, which reportedly cost $100 million, has been shrouded in controversy, especially after it was revealed that the aircraft had been seized by a French court as part of a legal dispute between a Chinese firm, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, and the Ogun State government.
The newly acquired jet was used by President Tinubu during his working visit to France on Monday.
Despite earlier denials and conflicting reports surrounding the purchase, the French court’s involvement eventually brought the matter to light.
Obi emphasized the need for the Tinubu administration to provide full disclosure on the acquisition process and clarify the fate of the older jets being sold off from the presidential fleet.
The presidential candidate said, “Now that the Jet is here, can Nigerian taxpayers whose money was used to purchase it need to be privy to how much it cost and how old the aircraft is and how long its been in operation.
“In addition, Nigerians also deserve to know about how the old jets being disposed, how many of them, how old they are, and why they are being sold. Transparency and Accountability should be the hallmark of any genuine leadership.”
He said that the federal government would lose nothing but respect, if it failed to provide adequate information about its leadership to the people whose money was being deployed and whose mandate the President was holding.
A presidential jet is a major symbol of national sovereignty and state power. How much it costs to transport the president, is a major issue of public accountability. I hope that Nigerians will not be denied the right of full disclosure on the new presidential jet,” Obi added.