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.
•Theophilus Ilevbare is a public
affairs commentator

This just doesn't cut it for me..................please does any paper report how many jets were bought under this administration? Just to put things in perspective. The title reads: "GEJ's" 11th jet, but I find that hard to believe. By how many jets has the presidential fleet grown in this new era of corruption?

my president is ballin'

Activity president! Carry go, enjoy man