President Muhammadu Buhari says that establishing a new national airline is not on the federal government’s list of priorities at the moment.

Buhari, who made the statement in Malabo on Tuesday at an interactive meeting with Nigerians resident in Equatorial Guinea, declared that his administration’s main area of focus now is reducing the level of poverty in the country.

The president said his administration would continue giving priority to the infrastructure needed to boost production in all sectors of the economy and create more jobs for young Nigerians, as well as other actions that would directly improve the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians.

Buhari was responding to complaints by members of the Nigerian community on the absence of direct flights between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea.

He assured them that his administration’s war against corruption would remain “fearless, relentless and merciless”.

“We will be merciless and relentless in pursuing all those who abused public trust. Nigerians will see how some of the elite conspired to run the nation down,” he said.

He also said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would be encouraged to explore the possibility of Nigerians abroad voting in the 2019 general election.

Noting that some African countries had started allowing their citizens resident abroad to vote in national elections, the president said that he fully empathised with the voting aspirations of Nigerians.

He pledged that he would therefore do all within his powers to fulfill that desire.

“I want all Nigerians to know that I respect them and their right to choose their leaders,” he said.

He condemned the recent political violence in Rivers state, saying that the killing of people over political differences is primitive, barbaric and unacceptable.

“We will deal decisively with all sponsors of violence. I have given the security services clear directives in this regard,” he said.

“We will show that violence in any form will no longer be tolerated before, during or after elections.”

A statement issued by Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, on February 28, in the course of the president’s visit to Qatar had said: “Nigeria has commenced discussions on partnerships towards establishing a national airline for Nigeria”, but it did not go into details.

Buhari, during his electioneering, described Nigeria’s presidential fleet under former President Goodluck Jonathan, as a “waste.”He therefore promised to make changes when he assumed office.

In a speech delivered to the Nigerian community in the United Kingdom in February, Buhari described the waste alongside corruption as the major killers of the country’s economy.

He had said, “Let me give you an instance, presently, there are more than six aircraft in the presidential fleet. What do you call that? Billions of Naira is budgeted every year for the maintenance of these aircraft not to talk of operational costs and other expenses.

“You may want to ask what a Nigerian President is doing with so much aircraft when a Prime Minister of Britain flies around using the same public aircraft like ordinary Britons.

“Go and check and compare with that of any developed country in the world, the Office of the Nigerian President is a very expensive one in spite of our poverty and joblessness. Despite all these, you still find a Nigerian Minister spending about N10bn to charter an aircraft for just one year.

“Now for me, when we come into office, all these waste will be blocked and properly channelled into our economy. We intend, for instance, to bring back our National carrier, the Nigerian Airways. We shall do this by bringing all the aircraft in the presidential fleet into the Nigerian airways and within a year increase the fleet to about 20.

“What is the difference between me and those who elected us to represent them? Absolutely nothing! Why should Nigerian President not fly with other Nigerian public?”

Buhari, who made the statement in Malabo on Tuesday at an interactive meeting with Nigerians resident in Equatorial Guinea, declared that his administration’s main area of focus now is reducing the level of poverty in the country.

Genius100:
Excellent news. The Nigerian government has no business running an airline at this point..

Genius100:
Excellent news. The Nigerian government has no business running an airline at this point..

[/quote][/b]pPresident Muhammadu Buhari says that establishing a new national airline is not on the federal government’s list of priorities at the moment.[b]

[/b]“Now for me, when we come into office, all these waste will be blocked and properly channelled into our economy. We intend, for instance, to bring back our National carrier, the Nigerian Airways. We shall do this by bringing all the aircraft in the presidential fleet into the Nigerian airways and within a year increase the fleet to about 20.

“What is the difference between me and those who elected us to represent them? Absolutely nothing! Why should Nigerian President not fly with other Nigerian public?”[b][quote]

OgbonnaUbani:
All promises cancelled - APC

kenny987:
Ha! Na wa o!

First #5000 now this! I have always been personally miffed that we do not have a national carrier and what we once had was of course run aground. I gave a private nod of agreement to GMB's passionate campaign speech about not having a national carrier and the wastefulness of a Presidential fleet like Nigeria's. Declaring the immediate reduction of the presidential fleet was welcome news and now, we are forced to confront this madness of an unserious and lying government that perfected the act of sweet-talking and rode into power via propaganda! Same people that said good governance is not rocket science!

Suddenly it is no longer his priority and he says he wants to reduce poverty. Pray tell what better way is there then to reduce poverty than to cut down the number of aircraft in the presidential fleet and according to him, convert them to the beginning of a national carrier, if fit for purpose and then expand the national fleet to at least 20 within a year? Would making profit out of commercial use rather than paying millions of dollars in maintenance costs not qualify as reducing poverty and unnecessary losses? How about he sits his arse home and stops the 'Johnny Walker' business?

It is bad enough that he can never give an idea of the government's plans to the local press, it has to be when he is outside the shores of Nigeria...What a government and what a leader!

bjdon:
Why does this man only make announcements when he's out side the country? It seems like he's afraid to even go around Nigeria. Apart from the media event he did in December, I can't recall anytime he's really engaged with Nigerians within the country.