The Presidency has made a proposal for an upfront deposit of N1.5billion for a brand new private jet

The Presidency has made a proposal for
an upfront deposit of N1.5billion for a
brand new private jet, which will become
the Presidential Air Fleet’s (PAF) 11th
aircraft.
This figure is contained in the details of
the 2014 Appropriation Bill presented to
the National Assembly by President
Goodluck Jonathan through the Minister
of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. The
Federal Government has budgeted another
N1.52b for the maintenance of the 10
aircraft currently in the PAF in 2014
and it is now set to spend just about
that amount on a new one.
This
prodigious squandering of taxpayers’
money is reckless and unacceptable.
The PAF already boasts two Falcon 7X
jets, two Falcon 900 jets, Gulfstream
550, one Boeing 737 BBJ (Nigerian Air
Force 001 or Eagle One), and Gulfstream
IVSP. Others are one Gulfstream V,
Cessna Citation 2 aircraft and Hawker
Siddley 125-800 jet. The combined
estimated value of the PAF is about
$390.5m (N60.53bn). According to
industry experts, it costs a minimum of
20 per cent of that figure to maintain
them annually. So we’re looking at about
$58.57m (N9.08bn) yearly for
maintenance. Private jets are money
guzzlers either in the air or on land.
The proclivity of this administration for
frivolous spending is well documented.
The government has been severely
criticised in the past for the colossal
amount of embezzlement, rip-off and
wastage that have been its hallmark.
The rationale behind this new aircraft in
the PAF must be condemned .
Apparently to hush the cacophony of
voices that will rise in opposition to the
proposed new jet, the Presidency in its
usual deceitful manner, has made part
payment for what can best be described
as a completely unnecessary toy of
comfort. The Nigerian PAF is already
bloated. If he can’t travel in any of the
10 jets in PAF’s possession, then there’s
absolutely no need for an eleventh one.
At a time we would think the numerous
editorials and op-eds have succeeded in
curbing waste and frivolities which this
government now symbolises, then came
this new proposal. We must continue to
resist their recalcitrance. This lavish
lifestyle must be checked.
The waste in government is also
demonstrated in the large entourage that
accompanies Mr. President on his foreign
trips. One can only imagine the millions
spent on hotel bills and estacodes that
accrue to the government officials.
According to reports, world leaders are
stunned at the strangely large number of
such entourage. The recent trip of
President Jonathan in the first week of
January this year to Kenya and the
hullabaloo about his entourage are apt.
It is shocking that the same people who
have budgeted millions for this new
flying toy are aware that the country
has no national carrier as I write. It is
shameful that the PAF has about the
third largest fleet of aircraft in the
country with a total of 10 aircraft,
coming closely behind Aero Contractors
with 12 and Arik Air, the largest
commercial airline in Nigeria with a fleet
of 23 aircraft. Nigeria happens to be one
of the few countries in the world with
such a large PAF. It is ridiculous that
this is happening in an aviation sector
that is dominated by foreign airlines.
Nigerian carriers are going under due to
cash constraints. Countries with visionary
and focused leadership like Malaysia,
Ghana, South Africa and a host of
others across Europe maintain only one
aircraft in their PAF.
As the much publicised take-off of the
proposed national carrier before the end
of the year failed, it won’t be out of
place to make a case for the government
to seriously consider converting the PAF
to a national carrier, retaining one or
two for use by Mr. President and his co-
travellers. The private jets can form the
hub of the charter aircraft.
What better example than the one given
by a national leader like British Prime
Minister, David Cameron, in 2010 when
he slummed it in business class of a
commercial airline flying from London to
Washington. He was caught on camera
swanning around the world in hired jets.
He flies around the world on British
Airways! Had it been in Nigeria, security
risks, flight delays are few of the
sundry reasons government officials would
have given for not flying commercial
airlines. The U.S. President, Barack
Obama, reportedly pays for his food, ours
spends almost a billion naira to entertain
himself and members of his government
yearly.
It amazes many Nigerians who watch in
utter disbelief the profligate nature of
government.
This government has embarked on some
white elephants like mere renovation of
official residences with billions of naira.
We can recall the uproar that greeted
the N2.2billion allocated to the
construction of a plush banqueting hall,
last year, with the lame excuse that
what the country had was way smaller
than what other tiny African countries
have.
In this part of the world, only citizens
are asked to cut costs, make sacrifices;
the pains of today are incomparable to
the joy of tomorrow are some of the
‘blues’ we get daily from government. In
the same breath, political office holders,
to our chagrin, take their spending to
absurd heights. Sacrifice is a language
that the over 60 per cent impoverished
population must understand while our
leaders continue their obsession with
living in opulence. They sacrifice nothing.
In these circumstances, how do you
convince the various labour unions who
are waiting on the flanks to embark on
strike to press home their demands that
there are no funds to meet their
grievances? Downturn in government’s
finances would be a hard sell in a
situation where the Presidency is
competing with individuals for private
jets.
It is lamentable that at a time when we
still haven’t seen the infrastructural
dividends promised with funds freed up
from the partial fuel subsidy removed,
the President is more concerned with
splashing billions on banqueting hall,
renovation of residential apartments and
covert medical tourism trips abroad.
This waste in the face of limited
resources extends to the federal
bureaucracy that has brought about an
increase in the number of ministries from
21 to about 40 with the number of
ministers jumping in equal quantum or
even more.he Presidency has made a proposal for
an upfront deposit of N1.5billion for a
brand new private jet, which will become
the Presidential Air Fleet’s (PAF) 11th
aircraft.

This figure is contained in the details of
the 2014 Appropriation Bill presented to
the National Assembly by President
Goodluck Jonathan through the Minister
of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. The
Federal Government has budgeted another
N1.52b for the maintenance of the 10
aircraft currently in the PAF in 2014
and it is now set to spend just about
that amount on a new one. This
prodigious squandering of taxpayers’
money is reckless and unacceptable.
The PAF already boasts two Falcon 7X
jets, two Falcon 900 jets, Gulfstream
550, one Boeing 737 BBJ (Nigerian Air
Force 001 or Eagle One), and Gulfstream
IVSP. Others are one Gulfstream V,
Cessna Citation 2 aircraft and Hawker
Siddley 125-800 jet. The combined
estimated value of the PAF is about
$390.5m (N60.53bn). According to
industry experts, it costs a minimum of
20 per cent of that figure to maintain
them annually. So we’re looking at about
$58.57m (N9.08bn) yearly for
maintenance. Private jets are money
guzzlers either in the air or on land.
The proclivity of this administration for
frivolous spending is well documented.
The government has been severely
criticised in the past for the colossal
amount of embezzlement, rip-off and
wastage that have been its hallmark.
The rationale behind this new aircraft in
the PAF must be condemned .
Apparently to hush the cacophony of
voices that will rise in opposition to the
proposed new jet, the Presidency in its
usual deceitful manner, has made part
payment for what can best be described
as a completely unnecessary toy of
comfort. The Nigerian PAF is already
bloated. If he can’t travel in any of the
10 jets in PAF’s possession, then there’s
absolutely no need for an eleventh one.
At a time we would think the numerous
editorials and op-eds have succeeded in
curbing waste and frivolities which this
government now symbolises, then came
this new proposal. We must continue to
resist their recalcitrance. This lavish
lifestyle must be checked.
The waste in government is also
demonstrated in the large entourage that
accompanies Mr. President on his foreign
trips. One can only imagine the millions
spent on hotel bills and estacodes that
accrue to the government officials.
According to reports, world leaders are
stunned at the strangely large number of
such entourage. The recent trip of
President Jonathan in the first week of
January this year to Kenya and the
hullabaloo about his entourage are apt.
It is shocking that the same people who
have budgeted millions for this new
flying toy are aware that the country
has no national carrier as I write. It is
shameful that the PAF has about the
third largest fleet of aircraft in the
country with a total of 10 aircraft,
coming closely behind Aero Contractors
with 12 and Arik Air, the largest
commercial airline in Nigeria with a fleet
of 23 aircraft. Nigeria happens to be one
of the few countries in the world with
such a large PAF. It is ridiculous that
this is happening in an aviation sector
that is dominated by foreign airlines.
Nigerian carriers are going under due to
cash constraints. Countries with visionary
and focused leadership like Malaysia,
Ghana, South Africa and a host of
others across Europe maintain only one
aircraft in their PAF.
As the much publicised take-off of the
proposed national carrier before the end
of the year failed, it won’t be out of
place to make a case for the government
to seriously consider converting the PAF
to a national carrier, retaining one or
two for use by Mr. President and his co-
travellers. The private jets can form the
hub of the charter aircraft.
What better example than the one given
by a national leader like British Prime
Minister, David Cameron, in 2010 when
he slummed it in business class of a
commercial airline flying from London to
Washington. He was caught on camera
swanning around the world in hired jets.
He flies around the world on British
Airways! Had it been in Nigeria, security
risks, flight delays are few of the
sundry reasons government officials would
have given for not flying commercial
airlines. The U.S. President, Barack
Obama, reportedly pays for his food, ours
spends almost a billion naira to entertain
himself and members of his government
yearly.
It amazes many Nigerians who watch in
utter disbelief the profligate nature of
government.
This government has embarked on some
white elephants like mere renovation of
official residences with billions of naira.
We can recall the uproar that greeted
the N2.2billion allocated to the
construction of a plush banqueting hall,
last year, with the lame excuse that
what the country had was way smaller
than what other tiny African countries
have.
In this part of the world, only citizens
are asked to cut costs, make sacrifices;
the pains of today are incomparable to
the joy of tomorrow are some of the
‘blues’ we get daily from government. In
the same breath, political office holders,
to our chagrin, take their spending to
absurd heights. Sacrifice is a language
that the over 60 per cent impoverished
population must understand while our
leaders continue their obsession with
living in opulence. They sacrifice nothing.
In these circumstances, how do you
convince the various labour unions who
are waiting on the flanks to embark on
strike to press home their demands that
there are no funds to meet their
grievances? Downturn in government’s
finances would be a hard sell in a
situation where the Presidency is
competing with individuals for private
jets.
It is lamentable that at a time when we
still haven’t seen the infrastructural
dividends promised with funds freed up
from the partial fuel subsidy removed,
the President is more concerned with
splashing billions on banqueting hall,
renovation of residential apartments and
covert medical tourism trips abroad.
This waste in the face of limited
resources extends to the federal
bureaucracy that has brought about an
increase in the number of ministries from
21 to about 40 with the number of
ministers jumping in equal quantum or
even more.