As the Federal Government faces the embarrassing take over of its three aircraft for the presidency by a Chinese firm identified as Zhongshan Funcheng Industrial Investment Company Limited following a recent court order in far away Paris, France, local attention now shifts to how the presidency acquired a new aircraft, one of the confiscated three, for itself without approval by the National Assembly
By Udoka Ekeleme, Abuja
Although the confiscation of Nigeria’s three Presidential Jets by Zhongshan Funcheng Industrial Investment Company Limited has been described as a national embarrassment by Nigeria’s opinion leaders and political pundits, what is now trending in the country’s public space and social media remains how the presidency procured the third aircraft not captured in the 2024 Appropriation Act, a brand new Airbus A300 taken over by the Chinese firm, without approval by the National Assembly.
Recall that the news filtered last week that the three Presidential Jets were confiscated by Zhongshan Funcheng following an August 12, 2024 order of the Judicial Court of Paris, France, to that effect.
However, tongues are wagging as to how the presidency got the funds to acquire the Airbus valued at billions of naira amid the economic hardship being witnessed in the country.
Last June, there was speculation that the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence had requested the Federal Government to purchase two new airplanes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The House Committee allegedly made the request in a report issued after its technical subcommittee had conducted investigation on the status of the airworthiness of the aircraft in the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF).
According to the recommendation report for the purchase of the new aircraft for the presidency, “The Committee is of the strong and informed opinion that considering the fragile structure of the Nigerian federation and recognizing the dire consequences of any foreseen or unforeseen mishap that may arise as a result of technical inadequacy of the Presidential Air Fleet, it is in the best interest of the country to procure two additional aircraft as recommended”, the purported report read in part.
While he Addressed journalists in Maiduguri the capital of Borno State last June over the observation of the Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele that the 10th Senate purported to give backing to the presidency to procure a new presidential aircraft, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio had alleged that there were fifth columnist in the National Assembly who were working to destabilize the parliament through peddling rumours that the upper legislative chamber had given the nod for the presidential aircraft.
Akpabio had said, “I want to dispel the rumour that you are hearing that the Senate President said he would buy a new plane for the president and his vice irrespective of the fact that Nigerians are hungry.
“I never said that. I was actually in Zanzibar, Tanzania, it is the handiwork of propagandists and fifth columnists who never see anything good in what we are doing. Be rest assured, pray that the combination of Tinubu and Shettima will bring wealth and prosperity to all “.
At the Senate plenary of Thursday, June 27, 2024, Akpabio had stunned Nigerians when he announced that the Senate would consider a request for new presidential aircraft if the upper legislative chamber deemed it necessary. He referred to the criticism that was trailing the aircraft issue as “anticipatory blackmail”.
According to the Senate President, “Irrespective of the anticipatory blackmail, because those people know very well that something like that might come in the future, and if it is necessary, 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.
“That is what you can call anticipatory blackmail. The purveyors of the story know very well that there is a problem with the presidential fleet and that where they will go will be the parliament.
“And so, they are now trying to do anticipatory blackmail to tell us, ‘if they bring it, do not look into it’. So, I think that we should ignore them because of what we are doing here.
“I read the president’s correspondence to us, there was nothing touching on a plane or no plane. But I can tell you that when you hear stories such as the death of the Vice President of Malawi as a result of defective plane, and you hear stories such as the death of the president of Iran as a result of defective helicopter and all that, we wouldn’t even dream or and allow such to be our portion”.
At the peak of the debate for and against the purchase of new presidential aircraft last month, publisher and activist, Omoyele Sowore had alleged that the Federal Government had already purchased an Airbus A300 Presidential Jet worth N150 billion.
The fund for the purchase of the aircraft was not captured in the 2024 budget. Sowore shared the revelation and pictures of the Airbus on his Instagram page where he wrote, “While they are telling you to ‘exercise patience’ @officialasiwajubat already bought a $100 million Presidential Jet and configured or reconfigured it with some $50 million and it is ready for delivery!
“The jet is an A300-200 initially christened VP-CAC is now registered as 5N-FGA.
“This was not in the annual budget, they can’t pay minimum wage for workers but could afford $50 million for a private jet, students have to obtain loans to go to college but they could afford to approve billions for Hajj even as the money/ies ended up being stolen”.
At the point of this revelation, Nigerians were at a loss as to whether to believe Sowore or Akpabio. The bubble has burst, with the French court order, it is now clear that Tinubu had purchased a new jet for himself without budgetary allocation.
Opinion leaders have raised issues such as, does the president have a new Presidential Jet? Has the presidency and National Assembly deceived Nigerians just as they are crying that Zhongshan Funcheng deceived them? With what budget was the new aircraft acquired? Which legislature approved the acquisition of the Airbus?
At present, the Presidency is waging the war against Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Company, over the seizure of the three presidential jets on the order of the Judicial Court of Paris, France. But it has dismissed court orders against Ogun State Government, which led to the seizure of the three presidential jets, as an attempt to strip Nigeria of her assets.
Consequently, both the Federal and Ogun State governments are making frantic efforts to vacate the orders obtained by the Chinese company on March 7, 2024, and August 12, 2024, respectively, with a view to securing the release of the planes.
A contract between Ogun State and Zhongshan to manage a free-trade zone was executed in 2007 but the parties entered into a dispute in 2015, and arbitration began in 2016.
By 2019, it was learned that the arbitration hearing had been concluded, as the Arbitral Panel awarded over $60 million against the Federal Government of Nigeria, a co-defendant, when all Zhongshan had done was build a perimeter fence around the free-trade zone.
Based on legal advice, Ogun State Government was said to have resolved to resist enforcement of the award. It was also gathered that the resistance was successful in eight different jurisdictions, as there are pending appeals against recognition orders issued in both the US and UK.
Tentacle gathered that Ogun government also engaged Zhongshan in settlement discussions on reasonable terms. The last meeting, which held in September 2023 in London, lasted for three days and was attended by several officials of Ogun State, including Governor Dapo Abiodun and the Attorney-General/Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi.
Zhongshan’s initial reasonable readiness to consider Ogun State’s offer was surprisingly reversed by the second day when it insisted on government paying the full arbitration debt.
It was learned that this led to a breakdown of the mediation, with parties agreeing to meet again in the first quarter of this year.
Since then, Zhongshan, had been evasive and instead, embarked on a series of enforcement proceedings, which the legal team appointed by the FGN and Ogun State successfully opposed.
Reacting to the presidential jet saga, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) called it a national embarrassment. Olumide Ohunayo, an aviation expert, also said it is an embarrassing situation and a sad development which can drive investors away. Ohunayo said the onus is on the presidency to come out clean from the scandal of the A300 Airbus which according to him has no place in the 2024budget of the federal Republic. Ohunayo further stated that the Federal Government must have sovereign cover for loans granted states. He opined that once the Federal Government gives cover to states on borrowing or other businesses, it bears responsibility because agreements are sacrosanct.
