Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of Labour Party (LP) in last year’s election, has reacted to the order to seize three jets belonging to Nigeria’s Presidential fleet.
Daily Trust reports that a French Court authorized the seizure of three presidential jets as part of a legal battle involving a Chinese company.
Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, a Chinese company whose export processing zone management contract was revoked by the Ogun State government in 2016, had approached the court, which listed a Dassault Falcon 7X, a Boeing 737-7N6/BBJ and an Airbus A330-243 stationed at Paris-Le Bourget and Basel-Mulhouse airports, for seizure.
However, the Presidency said it is aware of the development, accusing Zhongshan of attempting to take over offshore assets of the country through subterfuge.
Weighing in on the situation, Obi in a tweet on Thursday, said the fact that the Federal Government went ahead with the jet deal despite outcry and horrifying economic hardship shows the insensitivity of the President Bola Tinubu administration
The post, titled, ‘Seizure of Presidential Jets- An International Embarrassment,’ read in part: “The trending international news on the seizure of three Jets belonging to Nigeria’s Presidential fleet is yet another of many embarrassing things exposing our failed leadership and our attitude to the rule of law even in a democracy.
“It has also exposed multiple dimensions to our leadership failure and our insensitivity to the plight of the growing poor class in our midst.
“The fact that the federal government went ahead with the jet deal despite the cacophonous cry against the purchase of a Presidential jet at this time when the people are going through a horrifying economic hardship shows the insensitivity of this administration.
“Added to it is the embarrassing aspect of our country’s Presidential jets being held for contractual breaches arising from yet another dimension of inadequate leadership tidiness. I have been loud in my demand over time that the government at all levels should be accountable to the people, meaning that they must be very transparent in all their dealings. Until a court in France prohibits Nigeria from moving or selling these three jets, Nigerians have no iota of information about both the buying and selling of these aircraft.
“It has been done in secrecy. Federal Government property, which belongs to the people, is being managed as a personal family asset. Paying as much as $100m dollars for a Presidential jet for a country that is the poverty capital of the World and has more out-of-school children with over 40% food inflation is the height of concern for the people’s feelings. This incident has also opened up an aspect of indiscipline that is copiously embedded in our country which is the abuse and disrespect for the rule of law.”
A committee of the National Assembly had recommended the purchase of a new presidential jet, saying that the aircraft in the Presidential Fleet are dysfunctional, but the proposal was widely rejected by Nigerians over the nationwide hardship.
However, a two-time presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, later claimed that $100 million had been expended on the jet.
“While they are telling you to ‘exercise patience’ @officialABAT already bought a $100m Presidential Jet and configured or reconfigured it with some $50million and it is ready for delivery! The jet is an A330-200 initially christened VP-CAC is now registered as 5N-FGA. This was not in the annual budget, they can’t pay minimum wage for workers but could afford $150m for a private jet, students have to obtain loans to go to college but they could afford to approve billions for hajj even as the money/ies ended up being stolen,” he had tweeted alongside a video of a jet in Nigerian colours.
The government neither denied nor confirmed Sowore’s story.
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