“We Care for the President”, Senate to Approve New Presidential Jet If Tinubu Requests It
Nigeria’s Senate President, Goodwin Akpabio, during a plenary session on Thursday, June 27, 2024, affirmed that the Senate will not hesitate to approve a new presidential jet for President Bola Tinubu if he requests it.
“We care about the President, and we care about the Nigerian people. We will approve things that will benefit the Nigerian people. We will approve things that would improve the living standards of the people. At the same time, we will also take cognizance of the duties of the President,” Akpabio stated.
On June 24, Neusroom reported that the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence has urged the federal government to acquire two new aircraft for President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima. This, according to them, was to avert any foreseen or unforeseen mishap that could occur due to operational failures of the current Nigerian Presidential fleet.
While the President of the Senate has stated that there is no request for a new presidential fleet before the Upper Chamber, he maintained that no blackmail will stop the legislators from approving funds for the repairs of equipment needed by the President to discharge his duties.
“If his vehicle is bad, we will repair the vehicle. If his plane is bad, we will approve money for the repair of the plane. So that is not an issue. There is nothing before us. I don’t think you should worry about it.”
Pointing out that he read the “President’s correspondence but nothing was touching on a plane or no plane,” the former Governor of Akwa Ibom reiterated the recent plane crashes that killed the Vice President of Malawi, Saulos Chilima, and President Ebrahim Raisi, President of Iran.
“The Senate is very responsible. The National Assembly is very responsible. We will look into issues that will benefit the governance of the country,” adding that although no request has been officially made by the Presidency for a new fleet, the Senate will look into it if the request comes.
