The Labour Party’s (LP) 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticized the idea of buying new presidential planes.
The federal government was recently asked to buy new planes for President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima by the House of Representatives committee on national security and intelligence.
The committee’s recommendation was contained in a report released after it investigated the status of the aircraft in the presidential air fleet.
In May, the house of representatives mandated the committee to conduct a “comprehensive investigation” into the aircraft in the presidential fleet to ascertain their airworthiness and technical status.
Shettima’s aircraft malfunction caused him to postpone his trip to the United States. The vice-president was to represent Tinubu at the 2024 US-Africa business summit.
Reacting to the development, Obi, in a statement published on Monday on X, said the proposal for a new aircraft “highlights the disconnect between the government and the people”.
“With rising insecurity, poverty, hunger, and homelessness, this decision highlights the disconnect between the government and the people,” Obi wrote.
“It is unacceptable and demands a more compassionate use of resources, prioritizing citizens’ welfare.
“It’s on record that our presidential jets have an average age of 12 years, purchased when most Nigerians could afford basic necessities.
“Now that our nation is dealing with serious issues, such as a high debt load, the needs of its people are even more pressing.
“Our attention should be directed toward reducing their suffering and resolving their issues, not toward expanding our luxuries.
“For long, our bad leadership has made our priorities, as leaders, to be at variance to the needs of society, which is why we are headed now south as a nation.”
The former Anambra governor also faulted the construction of a N21 billion official residence for Shettima amid economic hardship.
“To elucidate further, despite dropping down to the fourth-largest economy in Africa, with a GDP of $252 billion and a per capita income of $1,080, with huge debt burdens and borrowing to service debts, yet we are spending $15 million for our Vice President’s residence, while the USA, the world’s largest economy with a GDP of $25 trillion, about 100 times our GDP, and a per capita income of $80,000, about 80 times ours, still houses their Vice President in Number 1 Observatory Circle, a house built over 100 years ago and whose value is obviously less than the $15 million we are spending on our VP’s residence.”
Obi said it is time for the political class to stop “recklessness” and focus on the needs of the people.“It’s, therefore, time to stop this impunity, insensitivity, and shamelessness and refocus on the needs of our people. We must prioritize education, healthcare, and lifting our citizens out of poverty,” the former Anambra governor added.
Together, let us create a country that genuinely serves the needs of its citizens and not just the interests of a select few. Let’s rise to the challenge and build this new Nigeria, which is now more possible than ever before.”
Published by Ejoh Caleb
