The matter of the acquisition of a presidential jet, Airbus A330-200, with registration number: 5N-FGA, has assumed the status of a spectre. It will continue to haunt the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration like a ghoul.
This is because the process of its acquisition has been fraught with opaqueness and hubris, two unedifying tendencies that have defined the Tinubu administration.
It is valid that the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence had made a compelling case for, and recommended the purchase of two presidential jets.
It is also correct that to facilitate the logistics of the president and to project the prestige and power of his office, he needs a jet in the finest fettle and shape.
But on account of the hardship in the land, which was recently underlined by protesting youths, most Nigerians thought it was inauspicious to purchase any jet(s) for the presidency at this challenging time.
When we assumed that the presidency had hearkened to our advice, and had deferred their procurement until a more opportune time, the news of the purchase of an Airbus A330-200 wafted, thanks to a court order authorising a Chinese company, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment, to seize the jets in the presidential fleet and other assets overseas. Shortly after this scandalous story broke, the presidency admitted that it had indeed purchased an Airbus A330-200 and that it was in France for maintenance.
The questions that must arise from this lurid development are: Why did the government not tell the Nigerian people of the purchase of the said Airbus A330-200, reported to be worth S100 million and retrofitted with state-of-the-art gadgets worth another S50 million before it was seized?
If the National Assembly had made a cogent case for the purchase of presidential jets, did that amount to an approval?
Since there was no approval and the purchase of a presidential jet was not provided for or appropriated in the 2024 budget or any supplementary budget for that matter, where did the presidency source S150 million to buy and retrofit the Airbus A330-200? Was it gifted to our country? Can the government kindly supply the name(s) of our generous benefactor(s) so that we can express our deep appreciation?
Why did the Tinubu administration have to purchase this jet at a time of unprecedented hardship, worsened by his ill-thought out policies?
Rhetorical as these posers may seem, the answers are not far fetched. First, the fact that the government deliberately kept Nigerians in the dark speaks eloquently to the disdain with which it holds Nigerians and its predilection for deception. If the government respected Nigerians, it would not have proceeded with this purchase, especially in view of the widespread outcry against it.
Second, by purchasing this Airbus A330-200 without a budget, without following due process and without the approval of the National Assembly, the government has committed an illegality. It has overreached itself and it has usurped the powers of the Legislative Branch. In a presidential system, the Legislative Branch is a co-equal of the Executive Branch.
In saner climes and jurisdictions, this brazenness and this wanton breach will amount to high crimes and misdemeanours. It will rightly draw the outrage of the Legislative Branch. It may even lead to impeachment proceedings. Unfortunately, this National Assembly has since lost any sense of indignation. It has lost its mojo and integrity on the alter of filthy lucre.
Third, this purchase speaks clearly to the tendency of the Tinubu administration to always prioritize its comfort and convenience to the detriment of suffering Nigerians.
As if the haughty attitude of the government and its lack of transparency in this matter were not enough injury, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, has proceeded to add insult by deploying one of the most specious and tenous arguments to justify the purchase of this “new” presidential jet.
According to Mr. Onanuga, “The plane bought far below the market price, saves Nigeria huge maintenance and fuel costs running into millions of dollars yearly”.
This “new” Airbus A330-200 was manufactured in September 2009, some fifteen years ago. Besides, Nigeria is said to be its third user/buyer since it was manufactured.
What is ludicrous is that this “new” Airbus A330-200 is merely four years “newer” than the Boeing B737-700(BBJ) which it has replaced. Meanwhile, we have not been informed of the distance which this Airbus A330-200 has covered compared with the “ageing” Boeing B737-700.
If truly the challenges of the Boeing B737-700 were age and huge cost of maintenance, why did the government not consider returning it to its manufacturer for an overhaul which would have cost less than the S150 million thus far expended on the Airbus A330-200?
It is fraudulent to pass off the Airbus A330-200 as if it were new and that Nigeria acquired it on the cheap. Afterall, the price of a brand new Airbus A33-200 is S238.5 million. Against this backdrop, the question is: How much is the true worth of a Tokumbo Airbus A330-200 that is fifteen years old and has been pressed into service by two previous owners?
If the government’s justification is disingenuous and is an insult on the intelligence of Nigerians, this government’s undue craving and obsession with showmanship and ostentation seem to speak to a grotesque vanity and an over-arching desire to compensate for a deprivation. Such ostentation and sickening display of opulence is out of sync with our current difficult reality. In the face of challenging realities, even the most narcissistic and cavalier of leaders rein in themselves. They curtail their excesses.