House-Committee Form Technical-Panel On Presidential Aircraft Malfunctions (Details)

The House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence has decided to establish a technical committee to address recurrent issues with the malfunctioning of the presidential aircraft…..CONTINUE READING

During a closed-door meeting at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on Monday, May 20, 2024, the committee engaged in discussions with Air Vice Marshal Olayinka Olusola, the commander of the Presidential Air Fleet. This meeting aimed to deliberate on recent incidents involving the use of chartered planes by President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

In April, President Tinubu chartered a plane from the Netherlands to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the World Economic Forum. Additionally, Vice President Shettima recently had to cancel a trip to the United States, where he was scheduled to represent President Tinubu at the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit, due to a faulty aircraft.

Following a motion of urgent public importance brought forward by Ahmad Satomi, Chairman of the House Committee on National Security and Intelligence, the lawmakers decided to summon National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and the Commander of the presidential fleet to explain the repeated breakdowns of planes in the presidential fleet, despite significant budget allocations for their maintenance.

During the debate, House Minority Whip Isa suggested that the President and Vice President consider traveling by road to assess the state of road infrastructure across the country.

After the executive session, Satomi briefed journalists, stating that a technical committee would be established to collaborate with officials from the presidential air fleet to devise a resolution. He emphasized the sensitive nature of the issue concerning national security and foreign policy, indicating that the committee’s discussions would not be made public.

Satomi clarified that the committee had not yet decided whether to repair or replace the aircraft but emphasized the importance of ensuring that Nigeria’s image is well represented globally. He also mentioned that some incidents reported in the media differed from the explanations provided during the meeting.

Published By: Destiny.Jnr