₦airaland Forum

coputa: This ibori's case was a collective collaboration against the niger Delta struggke which he champions....among all the criminals in and outside government,why was he the only one convicted,.....the judiciary in the united kingdom are bias....how many criminals still live in their country,unmolested......

Of course it is. They discriminate against those from the Niger Delta. Simply show up in a UK Court as a Niger Deltan and you are sure to get a more severe sentence than would have been handed to a Yoruba or Hausa Nigerian. It is the same in the USA, France and Germany too. In fact the worldwide discrimination against the Niger Delta is condemnable.

@Topic.

Expected outcome. Ibori has no legal ground to stand on.

basadenet: You seems to be economical with the truth,what do you mean that they are all the same, does it mean none of them ever performed in any area? I am not holding brief for any one of them but the truth is that some of performed.

Why don't you tell us the "performance" you have seen? Also can you tell us the major problems of Nigeria, as you perceive it, and let us see if the "performance" you mention is genuinely addressing those problems and not just deceitful 'shadow boxing' from leaders now very skilled at bamboozling a mediocrity-worshipping people via going through the motions while their expensively maintained propagandist deliver lies most Nigerians are unable to see through.

Care to tell us what any President has done to reduce bloated governance that has made recurrent spending over 70% when it is in single digit in many developed Nations?

Institutional corruption?

Optimal refining of oil to meet domestic demand and even facilitate income generation from the sale of finished derivatives of crude?

Aggressive diversification of the economy away from over-reliance on oil?

A simplified and holistic process to enable States commercially mine and market mineral endowment?

Effective and thorough reform of NPF, in the face of the FG ruling out State police, to deliver a modern, effective and truly competent police force capable of fighting crime and keep Nigerian lives and property safe?

Thorough, genuine and fundamental reform of the NNPC and our Petroleum sector to position them as tools for developing Nigeria?

Dedicated and deliberate effort to promote the growth of the SME (small to medium enterprise) which is the lifeblood of the economy of most developed nations?

Look, I could go on all day but I would like you to also deliver your own facts and the perceived "performance" you talk of and we can take it from there.

antiembezzle: if gbawe commit suicide na GEJ we go hold o, my hand no dae am oh...

On a serious note, I think many here misunderstand my passion to see Nigeria gain a visionary President to mean I dislike GEJ personally. My posts about Yar Adua, when he was President, are still here and he got it worse from me than GEJ. OBJ got it worst because he is the worst of all. They are all a waste of space more concerned with their agenda and 'draft mission' of propping up an elitist an oligarchic order that enriches a few massively while impoverishing the masses. In that respect, OBJ has not been different to those who handed over power to him like IBB, while Yar Adua was another 'protector of the realm' with GEJ being the the latest 'Voltron'

Look at all the major problems no PDP President has touched since 1999 and you will discern the same pattern. All of them can be said to have come to office and recorded some "performance" yet they are all the same with how they avoid tackling problems that seriously impede our march towards nationhood and accelerated progress. They are the same set of problems traditionally bedevilling us and created from the period undeserving elements started gaining power and replacing themselves with similar. Nigeria has never freed itself from this rapacious class with no redeeming qualities.

Missonas: Even if itz d truth cos im sure most politicians wud'v done d same cos of d believed 'ruling party' ish,luk aw wel he's ruling under ACN.party dnt matter!metuh suppose even hide face cos he jst applauded osho and ACN indirectly

Correct.

Airforce1: Let him go and spend his stolen wealth in hell. Thief

So, every politician is worthless to you? Look, the man is one of the few his people say has performed and delivered for them. Respect him for that. Furthermore, there is no confirmation of this news anywhere by any authoritative news source so I would suggest you chill.

gregtochi: I do appreciate your insight and knowledge in economicdevelopment matters, but I will have to disagree with you on the fact that Jonathan is doing nothing commendable in infrastructure. Both of us know that that Jonathan has been the elcted president of this country for two years, and you don't expect him to perform magic. Granted, we expect a lot from him and he hsa not lived up to our expectations, but hey guy, Rome was not built in a day.
Is is not high time we aloow this man to do his work without compounding his problems. Running government is not about running a family, I tell you there is more to it. Past presidents have had the opportunity of engineering this much talked about developments, but no, they did almost nothing.
Corruption ,Yes. More and more corrupt officials are being exposed everyday,and that is a pointer that the govenmernt is tranparent enough for us to see these happenings unlike before now, or do you think it just started in Jonathan's tenure.
I am not standing in for Jonathan, but we've got to let this guy do his job. Give him some breathing space and stop politicing every action of his.

My guy, I appreciate your position especially as you deliver it politely. Yet I will make some observation.

First, GEJ has been substantive President for 3 years not 2. He was sworn into office, as substantive President, May 2010 after the death of Yar Adua. This is May 2013. 3 years as a statistical fact. No ifs, buts or maybes. I therefore wonder what your revisionism is in aid of.

Secondly, no one is preventing GEJ "doing his work". In fact, even as I cannot speak for others, I comment on GEJ here because he is glaringly not doing his job. I can say this challengingly to anyone because I have a very clear understanding of what GEJ should be doing and the very little he is delivering as 'window dressing' to deceive Nigerians who are used to exalting mediocrity.

Finally, I will conclude by asking when someone will start a thread regarding the major problems of Nigeria, i.e those we cannot make progress unless tackled , and what GEJ has done precisely regards to those fundamental problems.

It just seems to me that most Nigerians are very ignorant of what our major problems are. Leading from this poor appreciation of the most serious problems facing Nigeria, many are therefore unable to cohesively articulate and demand specific actions from the President. Many only make excuse for GEJ's gradualism because they don't know what he should be doing that he is blatantly refusing to do.

[quote author=Ricky_Ross]I have no problems with GEJ continuing after 2015 if we have reliable power supply then and he fixes both the agric and transport sectors. At the rate GEJ is churning out projects weekly I do not believe internet whining can stop him.[/quote]My guy, you can believe what you want and I am certainly not interested in any long back and forth but look at the major problems of Nigeria. I.e those that will ensure the nation remains underdeveloped if not tackled effectively. Tell me what GEJ is doing in regards to those fundamental issues that have always stunted Nigeria's growth.

You should note that there is no single Nigerian Presidency or even military leadership that did not have its own "our man is performing" brigade. Yet one thing they all have in common is that our major problems remain our major problems. So you can call the informed pessimism of others "internet whining" but note it is a pessimism based on very solid premises and shared by the world's finest and most analytical minds who know a thing or two about economic development. Look below, as an example, of some of the major issues identified by the EU as causing enduring poverty in Nigeria. Which has GEJ fared average at let alone even warrant commendation?

Are we talking of the same man advised to plug the waste and theft in the oil sector, by the Ribadu task force, yet binned the report and turned the other way? Are you aware of the recurrent expenditure conundrum? I.e the concept Nigeria can never develop optimally devoting so much (70%) of its annual budget funding recurrent spending at the expense of capital spending especially for a severely deficient Nation infrastructure wise ? What has GEJ done in this regard if not abetted the problem?

They say we have no money to spend on developing Nigeria yet do you appreciate the income we can derive from optimally refining crude and selling its finished derivatives? What is GEJ's efforts towards achieving this bearing in mind that examples abound worldwide where Nations have drastically transformed their fortune refining their crude endowment optimally? Instead, year in year out, gradualists like OBJ, Yar Adua and GEJ keep us mired in parasitic dependence on importation of refined crude oil that breeds monumental corruption and keep open the taps bleeding out Nigeria.

We cannot even refine enough to use let alone sell. The right President will make such a consideration a national emergency but this is never so because we have, since 1999, only had gradualist who must never threaten the food of "awon boyz" by touching areas that can transform Nigeria drastically. They are only to be found doing ephemeral things informed experts, technocrats and analysts , home and abroad, are not at all impressed by.

Guy, no disrespect but some of us know too much and are too ambitious, as per appreciating what obtains worldwide, to be impressed by GEJ's silly "window dressing".

http://www.punchng.com/news/africa/nigeria-has-no-reason-to-be-poor-eu/

European Union on Tuesday identified corruption, impunity
and poor resources management as causes of poverty in
Nigeria.

ecosanders: Ahahah! So dis man think we r learners, after dey pass d 6years single term bill, den he wil turn bk n contest abi? Tel dat 2 ur lapdogs.

Precisely. The sycophants of the Presidency, as usual, will make noise but only fools will believe any pledge GEJ makes. Serious resistance from every quarter means that GEJ will 100% be defeated if he ever attempts to test his popularity democratically and through an electoral process. The scams to buy everything and everyone on board, like the fuel subsidy theft, has begun.

Allison-Madueke is busy, as GEJ's 'paymaster general', ably assisted by "Mr.Fixit" Anenih, organizing the 'war chest'. This is simply a plot of some in the legislature, after massive inducement, to smuggle GEJ in via the back door. There is no sense in believing the utterances of a Presidency whose desperate and very overt antics to retain power at all cost has currently grounded governance. Team GEJ, consisting of desperados like Mr.President himself assisted by the likes of Anenih, will think nothing of bankrupting Nigeria just to ensure this unfit man remains in charge beyond 2015. They are wasting their time and Nigeria's money. Simple as that.

Even if this is true then this is obviously an own-goal against the PDP. This is how unintelligent and ridiculously dull Nigerian politicians are. Ordinarily , and in sane nation with sane political Parties, it would be considered really dumb for any Party to confess spurning a politician who has now blossomed into one of the better performers. A bit like a football club bragging about shunning Lionel Messi. The PDP looks even dumber when they claim they cannot accommodate Oshiomhole while Nigeria and the world see them hosting miscreants, mediocrities and crude looters.

I have argued it here consistently that the PDP is a Party that prefers to host criminals while happy to turn away those who show too much of an interest in delivering for the people. The very few performing governors the PDP has, in relation to the total number they host in Nigeria, is logical proof of this argument.

Meanwhile, if we deal with facts and reject childish sentiments, not a single ACN Governor can be indicted of not being a major improvement on the PDP governor they replaced. This fool Metuh has just proven my case. The PDP is a Party that is doomed because it rejects talent as Metuh now directly and foolishly confirms. You proudly admit to turning away one of the Governors now adjudged one of the best performing in Nigeria. Clap for yourself MR.Metuh and mediocrity-worshipping PDP. Obvious the PDP cannot be a Party for the future because we still need Parties, even if not saints, who will host and support performers.

An example of a standard article that reveals the main facts of the case for those who read beyond the title rather than just make hasty conclusions from it to then begin working themselves into a frenzy. OP is clearly ignorant and has shown himself to be a mischief-maker who did not read beyond the title yet it is clear he is not the only one guilty of not reading beyond the title or inspecting things further to establish essential facts.

http://www.punchng.com/news/man-jailed-45-years-for-stealing-aregbesolas-phone/

Man jailed 45 years for stealing Aregbesola’s phone

APRIL 30, 2013 BY TUNDE ODESOLA, OSOGBO 301 COMMENTS


For stealing a N50,000 Sony Ericsson phone belonging to Governor Rauf Aregbesola, a 31-year-old Kelvin Ighodalo has been sentenced to 45-year imprisonment by an Osogbo High Court.

Ighodalo stole the phone from the pocket of Aregbesola on November 27, 2010, when the governor was being inaugurated at Government Technical College, Osogbo.

Justice Oyejide Falola, who heard the case, found Ighodalo guilty on six counts, which included conspiracy, stealing and fraud.

He was sentenced to 10-year imprisonment for the first three counts and five years for each of the last three which included impersonation, obtaining property by falsehood and collusion.

Falola, who ruled that Ighodalo deserved the jail term, held that the convict used the phone to obtain N500, 000 from the Owa of Ilesa, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, while he obtained N200, 000 from Mr Shengen Rahman, an associate of the governor.

The jail term, which Falola pronounced will run concurrently, means that Ighodalo will spend the next 10 years behind bars.

Assistant principal state counsel, Mr Biodun Badiora, told the court that the convict had served six-year imprisonment in Ikoyi prison custody in connection with a murder case in 2005.

Counsel to Ighodalo, Mr. Ameachi Ngwu, prayed the court to commit him to community service, stressing that the convict should not be incarcerated but rather be placed where people could see him as a convict.

I am really ashamed of Nairaland. OP of course is a bigot. His previous posts show that conclusively. What is disappointing is that he has supplied a pack of lies all the replies here cannot even simply ridicule with facts. Perhaps he is working with the mindset that people here react instinctively and bigotedly, without inspecting simple facts, to curse and fight each other.

The fact is that the convicted man will spend ten years in jail not 45. He was sentenced for six offences with total of all sentences equalling 45 years. The sentences are concurrent and will run along each other meaning he serves the time for the highest singular offence i.e 10 years.

Secondly, the man did not just "steal a governor's phone" as the baiter OP deceitfully writes. He committed several offences related to the theft of that phone to include extortion and obtaining property by deception. He was sentenced appropriately within guideline provision.

Third, the offender, a dismissed Police officer, had previously served 6 years related to murder, theft and political thuggery.

http://www.dailytimes.com.ng/article/man-bags-45-years-imprisonment-stealing-governor-aregbesola%E2%80%99s-phone

The governor’s cell phone was stolen on Nov. 28, 2010, at his swearing-in-ceremony.
Six months later, Ighodalo, a dismissed police officer, used the phone to swindle the governor’s friends and associates.
The accused had earlier served jail terms for murder, theft and political thuggery.

He has therefore re-offended and the judge must take this into consideration. All these fact I state here can be noted from most article regarding this case and I can only assume everyone just reads headlines and begin shouting here. OP is a fool and deserves to be ignored but if he is to be replied then that should be with facts and not further ignorant validation of his lies and deceit. This is how lies and deceit, unchallenged, become 'truth'. Personally, we should all look at ourselves as well. For the sake of self-improvement/development, is it not better to make efforts to work with facts and ease up on the emotional approach to everything?

soma042: shut that hole in your face young man who told you that crap, have YOUforgoting so quickly the killing that is going on in the whole north before the emergence of bokoharam. do you know how many trailer that would come and drop dead corps almost weekly in the east as @ 1998/2000/2002 have you forgo-ting so quickly that Muslims northerners are vampires,
carnivals,.
maybe you v forgoting anyway, but the atrocity that the northerners has incurred in us will ever remain fresh in our memory till the [b[i]]PAYBACKTIME......[/b][/i]

Look, the lack of progress of Nigeria is directly related to poor performance from leaders at the federal and State level. How does that have anything to do with Islam? How, for example, does Islam prevent Uduaghan from developing Delta State? Did Islam force Igbinedion to loot instead of developing Edo State? Was Gbenga Daniel forced to loot and pillage his State by Islam? When OBJ stole Nigeria blind at the federal level for 8 years, did Islam cause that? Even extreme prejudice should not blind judgement this much.

This is the sort of thread that will be ignored in favour of those where forumers can battle each other emptily, revise history and ethnically point fingers of blame. I hope the misguided youths from these state, brought up on a diet of shifting the blame to others, can see how it is, first and foremost, their own leaders looting their commonwealth. We are best served holding our direct leaders accountable instead of falsely, vacuously and deceitfully pontificating that any other ethnic group/region are the cause of our very obviously self-inflicted problems.

OliverPin: Government is one problem. Islam is one big problem. End of story

See it as you will. At the end of the day Moslems co-exist peacefully with non-Moslems in the SW. If Islam is really the issue then it should be causing serious problems there too. I don't know when some of you will simply accept that boko Haram has become the hydra-headed monster it is today because of the unchecked and unrestricted political sponsors who are cynically, in most cases, using poor,scantily educated, disenfranchised and bitter Nigerians for their own parochial agenda.

[quote author=Dan_de_Numeruno]Do you even know the meaning of the word "illiterate" ??

Succhiare il cazzo, è froci.[/quote]You are simply shameless with this open deceit. Nowhere in this thread did I say what you attributed to me below. It is a shame some of you are allowed to post here. Your childish antics only reveal how silly you are.

Gbawe: See illiterate religious bigot on the loose.

[quote author=Dan_de_Numeruno]What a dumb question.

Dude, where have you been hiding your skinny, ignorant àss all these years to fail to recognise that Boku Haram is a religious faction. And Oh Yes, it originated from Islam. Need I say more?

What else is there to blame when bombs are going off left, right and center every 5 minutes.

Dude, come back to earth, okay?[/quote]Look, I will ignore the insult because I know fully well that it is all some of you have in place of fact and logical reasoning. Before Boko Haram, what was responsible for the poor development of Nigeria? Look at the fractious history of Nigeria vis a vis military intervention in politics that has caused a lot of headaches for the Nation. How was that related to Islam?

Is corruption, common to all Nigerians, supported by Islam? Is it Islam that has forced all your presidents since 1999 (two Christian and one Muslim) to abide with the deplorable status quo whereby over 70% of yearly budgeted spending is used to service recurrent activities tied to governance? Please find other ways to satisfy your prejudice against islam that will not involve you saying things even a 4 year old will deem ludicrous. The problem with this forum is that it is those of you who are most ignorant, most bigoted and most prejudiced who speak loudest, most insultingly and most pugnaciously.

Guys, come on. Please take a few minutes to read and comprehend before commenting. I mean no disrespect but this is getting embarrassing. It is the second time on this same topic I have had to point out the obvious that show many of you simply do not even bother reading anything presented to you. you just see the headline and comment emotionally.

He is only spending 10 years in jail because his sentences for all charges run concurrent to the highest single sentence received and even the article points this out clearly. He faced 6 charges in total to include some charges for serious crimes related to the theft of the phone. Add to all that the fact that this is a repeat offender who had previously served a 6-year sentence for a conviction linked with murder. The legal proviso consequent upon his release is "go and sin no more". Yet he ignored that and has now offended again.

The jail term, which Falola pronounced will run concurrently, means that Ighodalo will spend the next 10 years behind bars.

inaluf: I thought the maximum sentence for stealing is 2 years with an option of fine. Why was he sentenced to 45 years imprisonment? This is hard to believe.

He is only spending 10 years in jail because his sentences for all charges run concurrent to the highest single sentence received and even the article points this out clearly. Also, "stealing" was not his only offence. He faced 6 charges in total to include some charges for serious crimes related to the theft of the phone. Add to all that the fact that this is a repeat offender who had previously served a 6-year sentence for a conviction linked with murder. The legal proviso consequent upon his release is "go and sin no more". He has offended again.

The jail term, which Falola pronounced will run concurrently, means that Ighodalo will spend the next 10 years behind bars.

[quote author=Dan_de_Numeruno]I'm not sure about Ghana moving ahead of Nigeria, but I do know that the main reasons Nigeria seems to be moving backward instead of forward is because of Islam.

Why do I say that? Simple. Since the course of history, Islam has always being an enemy of progress. It loathed the West so much that it disassociates itself from anything western. And we all know that West and Progress has always been synonymous with each other. When you talk of one, you talk of the other.

Nigeria can only move forward if North and South go their separate ways.

Islam meno, più progresso.[/quote]If you guys do not blame religion, it will be something else. When will Nigerians start looking at themselves and accepting responsibility for the State of their Nation?

Sibrah: Ha ha ha . . . . I told y'all. The scam that's the GEJ Lead govt were only taking advantage of the high rain fall. If this wicked lie had not been checked by some of us, the Gej Paid dawgs would have attempted to sustain their ~6terawatt claim and may be by now be strategizing on how to move it to ~8terawatt this year. Welcome to the system of mass perception of good governance tuning! FreshAir!!!

If you can't beat them, pay others to beat them on your behalf.

Good governance "tuning". I am one of those who continue to argue here that if we consider the major problems of Nigeria that it can be said that GEJ has achieved nothing. In fact he has taken us backwards in many regards.

maasoap: Raining season is approaching again. Remember that much praised Nnanji was the power minister during raining season last year. But people ignorantly attributed temporary improvement to him when in fact, rain did the magic.

Even worse is how GEJ and his fans went around claiming perennial highs Nigeria has always seen as the achievement of Mr.President. This is why Amanpour mocked our President. Many , from Countries where they call a spade a spade, have no time for our dishonesty or sentimental and clannish take on issue.

It is a simple enough concept to grasp for anyone who is not a functional illiterate. If generation has not increased then simply look at values that make power supply fluctuate such as water level for hydro-electricity and availability/optimal supply of gas. Yet asking Nigerians to do such a simple thing is no easy task for a nation now so badly divided people do not even have any inclination for looking at issues dispassionately and logically. Often it is non-Nigerians saying the truth about our nation while we ourselves lie and shout sentimentally.

Billyonaire: Hahahahaahaha, You never start! When the masses are scrambling on how to catch a night bus to their destinations, Amaechi is going to Press to re-enact how his Jet was grounded. Is he searching for love amongst the masses or the Presidency he cunningly runs parallel ? Your wahala never start. Learn from Sylvia and Alams. There are 2 entities you can not fight- The Gods and Government.

Coming from a blind supporter of GEJ, this is disgraceful. GEJ is the worst President in the entire world when it comes to the notion of insensitive largesse while the masses suffer. GEJ , comparatively, has the most bloated fleet of aircrafts in the world. Some leaders of developed Countries have only one or even none !!! Yet how many does your own President have for you to round on Amaechi hypocritically like this?

Read below to note your sort have no shame. The best you could have done, when you are the supporter of a leader easy to ridicule for his nauseating and callous profligacy, is to shut up and say nothing against others when it comes to the topic of the insensitive and unacceptable squandering of a nation's wealth. If Nigeria continue to produce your sort as "youths" then she has no hope at all.

http://www.punchng.com/news/fg-spends-n9bn-annually-on-10-aircraft-presidential-fleet/

FG spends N9bn annually on 10-aircraft presidential fleet

DECEMBER 5, 2012 BY OYETUNJI ABIOYE


INFORMATION obtained from government aviation agencies and airline operators has revealed that President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration spends an estimated N9.08bn annually on the Presidential Air Fleet.

[size=14pt]PAF has the third largest fleet of aircraft in the country. According to findings, the PAF contains a total of 10 aircraft, coming closely behind Aerocontractors Airlines, which has a total of 14 aircraft.

Arik Air, the largest commercial airline in the country, has a fleet of 23 aircraft.[/size]

Figures obtained from the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority revealed that N9.08bn is spent to maintain the 10 presidential jets every year.

The PAF include 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.

Cost of running fleet

According to a former Minister of Information, Professor, Dora Akunyili, each of the two Falcon 7X jets purchased in 2010 cost $51.1m, while the Gulfstream 550 costs $53.3m.

The factory price of other aircraft in the fleet could not be easily obtained online. However, airline CEOs put the average price of Falcon 900 at $35m, Gulfstream IVSP as $40m, Gulfstream V at $45m, Boeing 737 BBJ at $58m, Cessna Citation is $7m and Hawker Siddley 125-800 at $15m.

This brings a combined estimated value of Nigeria’s PAF to $390.5m (N60.53bn).

According to airline chief executives and industry experts, airlines spend between 15 and 20 per cent of the cost of an aircraft on its operation yearly. They say that averagely, a little less than one-fifth of the cost of the plane is spent every year on insurance, flight and cabin crew, maintenance, fuelling, catering and training.

Going by the fact that at least 15 per cent of this amount is spent annually on operating the PAF, it means about $58.57m (N9.08bn ) is spent annually on running the planes .

Nigeria happens to be one of few countries of the world with a large PAF.

Other countries’ fleets

[b]Most major countries in Europe and Asia maintain mostly two aircraft in their Presidential Air Fleet, according to Wikipedia.

According to the website, Japan maintains only two Boeing 747-400 planes in its Presidential Air Fleet.

The two aircraft, mostly for the Prime Minister, the Emperor, Empress and other members of the Imperial Family, is operated by the Japan Air Self-Defence Force.

The aircraft were constructed at the Boeing factory at the same time as the United States’ Air Force One. Both Japanese aircraft were delivered in 1990.

Wikipedia also confirms that the Netherlands government operates only two aircraft, one Fokker 70 and one Gulfstream IV, as a means of transport for the Dutch Royal family and government officials, such as the prime minister and other ministers.

They are also used also to attend international conferences, and also for private trips by the Queen and the Prince of Orange.

For long haul trips the Royal Dutch Airline is used. Often the upper deck of a Boeing 747 is used.

The Queen of England and Prime Minister David Cameron often go on British Airways chartered flights for long trips. UK’s Cameron was recently criticised by the UK media for chartering a foreign plane instead of a British’s.

According to Wikipedia, The Royal Squadron of the Royal Air Force maintains a fleet of Agusta A109 helicopters, BAE-125 mid-sized business jet and BAE-146 regional airliner to support short travel by the Royal Family, the Prime Minister and senior members of the British Government.

[size=15pt]Countries like Ghana, Algeria and a host of others in Europe maintain only one aircraft in their PAF.[/size][/b]

Domestic airlines

The latest revelation on Nigeria’s PAF size is coming amid dearth of aircraft among domestic airlines, which lack adequate finance to buy more planes to meet up with the soaring domestic passenger capacity.

Apart from Arik Air and Aero, each of the remaining domestic airlines does not possess even half of the number of aircraft in the PAF, according to findings by our correspondent.

IRS Airlines has only four operational aircraft in its fleet; Dana Air has four aircraft; Firstnation, three aircraft; and Medview Airlines, two aircraft; figures obtained from the industry revealed.

In recent months, domestic travellers have been scrambling to get air tickets due to lack of capacity on the part of the other local airlines, after the suspension of operations by Dana Air, Air Nigeria and FirstNation Airlines respectively.

Apart from Arik and Aero, most of the domestic airlines fell behind the PAF in terms of the number of aircraft in their fleet.

These include Air Nigeria, Dana Air, IRS Airlines, FirstNation Airlines, Medview Airlines, Overland Airways and Associated Airlines.

Airline CEOs opinions

Some airline CEOs, who pleaded anonymity, raised concerns over the economic sense behind the large mix of brands of aircraft in the President Air Fleet.

They said although the fleet size was large, the cost of operation would have been cheaper if they had maintained only two brands, instead of more.

According to them, the various brands of aircraft in the fleet will cost the Presidency more in terms of money being spent on aircraft maintenance, insurance, engineers, flight and cabin crew among others.

“If you look at the Presidential Fleet, you have at least five different brands of aircraft manufacturers. In that single Presidential Fleet, you have Boeing, Falcons, Gulfstream, Hawker and Cessna: that is not less than four different brands from various countries. I don’t know the economic sense in this. The fleet needs to be streamlined from five to just two brands. The aircraft can’t see each other. It means each of those planes will have its own flight crew, cabin crew, engineers, dispatchers etc. It is a mismatch. The Presidency will be spending more to keep all of them in the skies. Going by airline economics, you spend less when you focus on a single brand or at most two. You will get support from the manufacturers and then you spend less,” the CEO of a domestic airline, who pleaded anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter, told our correspondent.

“Look at IRS, it has only one brand, all its four planes are all from Fokker; look at First Nation, it has only Airbus. All its three planes are all Airbus A319. Look at Dana, all its four planes are all Boeing MD-83s. Look at Aero, It has only Boeing and Bombardier planes, just two brands. That is how to run a fleet of aircraft with economic sense. You don’t need more than two. Globally, it is the same thing. South West Airlines in USA has hundreds of planes and they are all from one single brand, Boeing. I think they need to streamline the fleet to just two brands to minimise the cost of running them. By that, there will be a reduction in the number of the crews they will be using to fly them” the CEO added.

Spokesman for the President, Mr. Reuben Abati, could not be reached for comments on the PAF. Telephone calls made to his telephone line was not picked, while a text message sent was not also replied.



PAF workforce

According to the NAF’s website, PAF’s current staff strength consists of 47 NAF officers, 173 airmen/airwomen and 96 civilian staff, both technical and administrative.

“The operational headquarters of the Fleet is located at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while the administrative personnel are at the Federal Secretariat. The fleet has a liaison office at the Presidential Villa. Flight operations, training, aircraft maintenance and general running of the fleet are funded by the Presidency,” according to the website.

mikeansy: It is a democracy, Amaechi has every right to question the leadership of the President within the confines of the law. A strong President will recognise that it is Amaechi's right to do so.

If Jonathan feels Amaechi and the RSG are breaking the law, the court is there for him to use.

Otherwise Jonathan needs to get used to how democracy works. Jonathan has this misguided idea that everyone South of the Niger must like him. Thats just plain ridiculous. If Amaechi was from NW Jonathan wont be doing all the nonesense he is doing.

This is what some of us have been saying all along. GEJ should simply get used to the idea of testing his popularity all the time and everywhere , as democracy demands, or refrain from running to prevent being disgraced. Bullying and intimidating everyone and everything out of the way should not be an option.

eGuerrilla: If it is true that Amaechi's aircraft has been operating in violation of aviation industry guidelines, it needs to stay grounded. No one should support the contravention of air safety rules, regardless of whose ox is gored.

As to the emboldened portion of your post; it is clear that you are no longer seeing the wood for the trees. If you think that by repeating a lie often enough you'd somehow hold back the tide of history, I am afraid you are seriously mistaken.

Those who are arguing that Jonathan should simply ride roughshod over all opposition haven't the foggiest idea about the incremental gains democracy enshrined since 1999. Did OBJ not employ various underhand tactics and a size-able war chest to persecute his TTA, only to end up clutching at straws?

For what its worth, I suppose we need to understand the views of folks harkening back to the darker days of yester-years for their own inimical reasons, but we certainly do not need to accept them.



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Very wise contribution. You know I actually cringe when I come to this forum and read some things I rarely see or read beyond Nigeria these days. Even more horrifying when one considers that it is supposedly educated and young Nigerians delivering these 'throwback' talk. Political partisanship is everywhere and in every Nation of the world yet most folks support forward motion and the strengthening of democracy always. Or at the very least, and unlike Nigerians, they have the sense to do so publicly.

It is disgraceful to read , from those who are led, the endorsement of dictatorial and undemocratic actions, from our number 1 citizens, that only take us backwards in reality. Tantamount to cutting your nose to spite your face. A hideous and disgraceful display of lack of political sophistication. I think Nigerians have been so abused, the mentality of many has been brutally bastardized to now lean towards the "might is right" ethos.

dirtymoney: I thought they said we have a weak president

Is dictatorial conduct and abuse of power "strength"? The real show of strength would have been great political performance, equity to political colleagues and the integrity of conduct that would have seen GEJ build a genuinely well-supported political base which would mean he is not in the position he is in today i.e one that has led him to become so unpopular his only option is to virtually bully everything and everyone out of the way. That is not strength and it is only in Nigeria we can interpret it as such perhaps because as Fela opined we are a brutalised people casually comfortable with ourselves and others been assaulted, harassed and disenfranchised unfairly.

taharqa: Oh! So you rememba? Hehehehe.... I just dey laugh. KIDS

You call others "KIDS" yet look at the immature reasoning you supported automatically. You are backing the utterance of someone who says GEJ will give Amaechi the "Sylva treatment" yet how is that possible put to the logic test? Amaechi is not a governor from the home State of Mr.President. Also, Amaechi will complete his second term and is not seeking a PDP gubernatorial return ticket as Sylva was. What exactly does Amaechi stand to lose even if GEJ somehow manages to bully him out of running with Lamido? Do you know GEJ's fate to think Amaechi won't have the last laugh?

I still think one of two things will happen. GEJ can test his popularity at the PDP primaries and lose 100% or he can use his office to bully everyone out of the way to gain the ticket for his highly rejected and vehemently resisted ambition. It would appear we know the option he has settled on. If he succeed then many will simply leave the PDP. Politics is about permanent interest but many will not stick around to be part of the farce of supporting a man who gained their support via pledging to step down in future and give them a chance only to turn around and treacherously tell them to get lost. They will be queuing up to work to see GEJ lose - even if that means they support the Devil.

Amaechi is not as foolish or as doomed as some of you think. He would have thought things out properly and weighed up the risk calculatedly to work out the worst that can happen. The "worst" under GEJ, proven beyond doubt as seen with the likes of Aondoakaa and Sylva, is never a big deal because it only ever ends in a loss of office . I don't see how this will bother an outgoing governor gaining a lot of underground appreciative nods standing up to a President highly unpopular and detested amongst his political peers. What you guys don't have the maturity to see is that Amaechi has more options than GEJ but I won't spell out what you can't see for you. Better to watch it happen live. It is not all 'gra-gra' as you simplistically posit. It can be about "he who dares" as was the case of Tinubu against probably the most vindictive politician Nigeria has ever produced i.e OBJ.

When most of you repeat the utterance here that "you never go against this and that power" you are, with all due respect, revealing innate cowardice as an exponent of your mindset. Amaechi should not be deterred because GEJ is not god and his office does not give him the right to do whatever he wants to those who have done him no wrong and only wish to exercise their entitlement as granted by the Nigerian constitution. It is amazing, as someone observed earlier, that we Nigerians don't know how much like our despotic leaders we are with our utterances. We never aspire to good or exemplary things in Nigeria yet we blame leaders for everything. [size=14pt]How many Nations of the world do you guys see citizens myopically applauding a President trying to bully others out of an electoral race they are fully entitled to partake in? This crap is not even happening in small African Nations and we are here making a fool of ourselves and disgracing Nigeria with undemocratic utterances[/size] The "Sylva treatment" indeed. Funny phrase. Very funny.

dBard: There's nothing wrong with what was done. The motive might not be right, but if ur driving a car, as a govt official, without licence n ur caught one day, u ve noone t blame but yourself.
On your second statement, popular opinion is not with Amaechi on this one. He is perceived as siding with outsiders t fight his own, which down South is an unforgivable sin. Add that t his arrogance n u will realise he is not as popular as he'll want t believe. Are his biggest opponents right now not his Ikwerre people. The dude did wrong, he can't win d war. Maybe a few battles but not d war i.m.o

So as not to piss off the SS, no SS politician must run against GEJ?
GEJ cannot get an elections tailor-made to facilitate the uncontested sit-tight by all means win him and his camp seem to think is their divine right. Anyone who understands what democracy is will understand that.

Amaechi has the right to pursue his ambition. He owes GEJ nothing and if , as you claim , the SS take the view that Amaechi is "siding with outsiders" when he is merely joining a fellow Nigerian to contest a Nigerian election, then I am afraid you have only succeeded as portraying the SS as a very clannish, politically unsophisticated and relationally immature region.

solopumpy227: NOBODY IS SAYING ANYTHING NOW BECAUSE THIS THREAT FOR VIOLENCE IS NOT COMING FROM BUHARI OR ANOTHER NOTHERNER. These are signs of desperation and palpable fear.
Election is a game of number and GEJ team are clearly seeing the hand-writing on the wall 2015 looks bleak for GEJ and have resorted into fear-mongering.

Sorry Kuku it wont work in 2015, its a banal tactic and already overused. That is why most of us believe the BH threat to Lagos is solely being ochestrated by GEJ team to turn SW against the North.

Our support are no more cheap and can only be earned through visible and verifiable achievements not mischieves, schisms and sentiment-weeping.

I have said the same a million times on this forum. The man cannot even win 5% of the delegate votes at the PDP Primaries. His treachery against all Nigerians, to include those who lead and those who are led, means he has nowhere to go democratically.


That is how much our opportunist President, with no loyalty to anything or anyone, has alienated everyone with his treacherous antics. He has betrayed everyone/every group that has ever placed faith in him starting with the Nigerian people. Now he has no dedicated base whatsoever to call upon aside those he can buy with cash and the ethnic jingoist devoted to him like Kuku and Clarke.

Team GEJ now realize, to their total horror, that the democratic route of facing the numbers is not an option because resounding defeat, even from the PDP primaries, is assured. This is the direct consequence of their crude policy of focusing myopically and singularly on perpetuating themselves in power rather than seeking the assured return route of just leading the nation well.

This is what is behind this nearnderthal utterance of Kuku that puts Nigeria disgracefully in 1945 as a banana republic beholden to the ambition of a mediocrity who only wishes to sit tight enjoying the largesse of office at the expense of the progress of many millions. How is this different to the nauseating sycophantic march for Abacha remaining in office by selfish and amoral elements? When you think our image cannot sink further, another clown has to come out and disgrace us as a fake giant that has fallen far behind many we arrogantly think we are superior to.

berem: If he had stayed away, would he have become the mouthpiece of the opposition or would he have simply become what he used to be? as someone rightly said, power corrupts. The only problem is that he has lost his integrity and might not recover it, not now or in the nearest future.

It is about the history of Abati and what he supposedly stood for. It is well documented that Abati opposed a lot about the GEJ Government. Abati made it clear what he thought of GEJ and co. This is why he had a cult following that has now turned against him spectacularly. The assumption is that it would have been in character for Abati to reject working for those he lambasted as "corrupt, wicked, "ungodly and unfit" consistently and over many years.

Prof Corruption: No, taking an appointment in itself is not bad. He's not serving in a military government, so there's nothing wrong in accepting an appointment. But when he began to utter statements that were diametrically opposed to what he had written, espoused as principled and seasoned journalist, he lost it. As pathetic as this clueless administration is, some of the cabinet members are still doing well.

This is not even a good example of power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. If I may ask, what power does he wield as a spokesperson, more correctly as a speechwriter? The truth of the matter is Abati has always been a hypocrite preaching one thing and doing another.

Depends on the appointment. If you take an appointment you know will engage you in lying to the public on behalf of an ultra government you had previously condemned then you are shooting yourself in the foot doing that - especially if you had some previous pretensions to integrity.

RIP to the dead. The article blames brake failure. Makes one wonder if this tragedy, like many other, could have been prevented.

ujchief: Power corrupts!

Absolute power corrupts absolutely!

You are right but Abati had the option of staying away.