Former Chairman of the Investigating Committee for Crude Oil Theft in the House of Representatives, Mark Gbillah, has called on the lower chamber to release its report on the investigation into the issues surrounding the faulty presidential jet.
Gbillah, who represented the Gwer East/Gwer West Federal Constituency of Benue State in the 9th Assembly, suggests that the problems with the president’s aircraft may stem from inadequate maintenance, despite the aircraft’s lifespan being within acceptable limits.
“I would encourage the National Assembly to make it public. Every decision concerning this issue should be made public,” Gbillah said on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm.
“We can even invite other experts to tell the National Assembly the true situation and the condition of our presidential fleet which I believe should be in good flying condition once every maintenance is made and if there are repairs to be done, those can be done.
New Jet Not Necessary
In April, President Bola Tinubu opted for a commercial flight to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh after the aircraft he was using to travel to The Netherlands experienced a mechanical issue.
Around the same period, Vice-President Kashim Shettima arrived in Ogun state via a chartered aircraft. Subsequently, Shettima had to cancel his trip to the US mid-flight due to an engine malfunction on the aircraft.
A House of Representatives committee recommended the acquisition of two aircraft for the president and vice president.
However, the former lawmaker cautioned the Federal Government against purchasing new aircraft at a time when living conditions in Nigeria have worsened.
“If there has been an investigation about what transpired with regards to the aircraft, it should be made public. We have professionals replete in this aviation sector with knowledge about the industry.
“We do not need to go into procuring new aircraft at this time. The fact that something happened when Mr President flew to Paris and couldn’t fly to Saudi Arabia might not be something to do with the plane being faulty.
“It might have been an oversight on somebody’s part. It might have been a lack of maintenance. I do not think this is a time to be procuring new aircraft, that is being insensitive,” he said.
Akpabio Speaks
Earlier, Senate President Godswill Akpabio stated that the Senate would entertain a request for a new presidential jet if deemed necessary, but he dismissed assertions that lawmakers are currently poised to authorize such a purchase.
Akpabio made these remarks during a plenary session in Abuja on June 27, addressing speculations circulating in some quarters about the Senate’s alleged intention to approve the acquisition of a new aircraft for President Bola Tinubu.
“Irrespective of anticipatory blackmail, because those people know very well that something like that might come in the future. And if it’s a necessity, the Senate will look into it. But there is nothing like that before us now. So, they can go ahead and blackmail the senate president, that will not affect me,” he said.
The senate president who refuted claims that the National Assembly does not care for the masses, said the lawmakers are committed to doing what is best for the generality of Nigerians.
“The Senate is very responsible. The National Assembly is very responsible. We will look into issues that will benefit the governance of the country,” Akpabio said.
“That is what you can call anticipatory blackmail. The purveyors of the story know very well that maybe there is a problem with the presidential fleet and that where they will go will be the parliament,” he said.