In June, Premium Times reported that the Nigerian government quietly acquired an Airbus A330 aircraft from a German bank for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu without National Assembly approval.
According to the report, the German bank had seized the aircraft from an unnamed Arabian prince and businessman who defaulted on a massive loan. Despite the significant procurement, the Presidency has remained silent, with no official statement confirming the purchase.
The issue resurfaced recently when it was revealed that three Nigerian aircraft were seized by a Chinese firm following a French court order. The seizure stemmed from a long-standing dispute between Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment and the Ogun State government over a failed industrial park project.
Among the seized aircraft was the newly acquired Airbus A330, which was reportedly undergoing routine maintenance. However, the Chinese firm released the jet as a “gesture of goodwill” to allow President Tinubu to travel for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The lack of transparency around the purchase and the subsequent events have raised concerns about the oversight and approval process for such significant government expenditures.
A presidential spokesperson confirmed to Daily Trust that that the new aircraft was purchased for the president.
“That is settled. Something that is now released (referring to the seized aircraft Airbus A330). If it was not purchased, how could it be withheld by the Chinese company? There’s no controversy around it. Almost everything has been concluded and it was out in the media”, the aide who declined to be named said.
On whether an approval was obtained from the National Assembly before the procurement of the presidential jet, the spokesperson said, “There was a story that the National Assembly directed that the aircraft should be procured for the President. There are a number of windows to the National Assembly.”
The government official also hinted that the aircraft could have been purchased under the Service Wide Vote, which he said, may not require the parliament’s assent.
Some lawmakers who spoke to the aforementioned publication stated that the National Assembly neither considered nor approved any request for the procurement of a presidential jet before proceeding on recess.
A source in the Senate said: “At no time was deal discussed at the plenary meeting. It was not tabled. But then, there is the probability that the president had sent the letter.”
Another source also said he was not aware of any approval by the Senate for the purchase of a new presidential jet.
“The last time we heard something about the new aircraft was when the Senate president, Akpabio, said no communication about it yet from the Villa, but that the National Assembly would not hesitate to approve it.
“I read it in the media that the aircraft had been purchased, and as I speak with you, no one has denied that the deal was sealed,” he said.
A member of the House of Representatives also revealed that no correspondence from the president was presented to them about the purchase of a new aircraft for the president.
He said: “We’ve not seen anything in the main budget or the supplementary budget about the purchase of a new presidential aircraft. Another thing is that, there is no detail of the supplementary budget passed. So, we don’t know whether it is in the 2024 supplementary budget because we have not been availed with the detailed breakdown. It was presented as a lump sum.”
When contacted on telephone last night, the spokesman of the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Zakari Mijinyawa, told the publication that it could not be true that the new presidential plane was purchased without an approval of the National Assembly.
“It cannot be true. This is the first time I am hearing this whether in government or outside government,” he said.
