Peter Obi: Nigerians Should Be Held Accountable for the New and Old Presidential Jets

Peter Obi, a politician and past Labour Party presidential contender in the general elections of 2023, has demanded that the Federal Government provide an accounting of its transactions and activities pertaining to the old and new presidential jets.

Obi’s position is the result of recent disputes with the Ogun State government’s jet contract with a Chinese corporation, which resulted in the confiscation of three aircraft.

In response to the news, Obi called on the federal government to release information on the total number of jets purchased, their cost, and other statistics that are not yet available to the public.

“Now that the Jet has arrived, the Nigerian taxpayers whose funds were utilized to buy it should be aware of the aircraft’s cost, age, and length of service.

Nigerians should also be informed on the disposition of the outdated aircraft, their quantity, age, and purpose of sale. A true leader should be defined by their transparency and accountability.

“If the government doesn’t give the people whose money is being spent and whose mandate the President is holding sufficient information about its leadership, it will only lose their respect.

A presidential plane is a significant representation of official authority and national sovereignty. The cost of the president’s transportation is a significant matter of public accountability. Using his official X handle, Obi tweeted, “I hope that Nigerians will not be denied the right of full disclosure on the new presidential jet.”

A French court’s judgment for Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited to seize three presidential airplanes owned by the Nigerian government due to contract violations caused controversy.

Nigeria was not allowed to move or sell the presidential jets until the Chinese company was paid the $74.5 million that it had been granted by the Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris.

As “security” for claims in a protracted legal dispute spanning decades between the foreign firm and the Ogun State government, the court permitted the company to detain three presidential airplanes that were undergoing routine repair in France.

A Dassault Falcon 7X at Le Bourget airport in Paris, a Boeing 737, and an Airbus 330 at Basel-Mulhouse airport in Switzerland are among the presidential jets that have been confiscated, according to sources.

Since then, one of the jets has been given to the Nigerian government.

Since then, the dispute has deteriorated, with experts expressing their opinions on the deal and many accusing the federal government of consistently breaking contracts.

In response, Chinese company was allegedly attempting “to take over offshore assets of the Federal Government of Nigeria through subterfuge,” according to a statement released by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga.

Gbenga Daniel, a former governor of Ogun State, has since advocated for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.