Presidential Candidate of Labour Party (LP) in last year’s elections, Peter Obi, has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the move to seize presidential jets of Nigeria.
Daily Trust reports that a French Court authorized the seizure of three presidential jets linked to the Federal Government as part of a legal battle involving a Chinese company.
Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, a Chinese company whose export processing zone management contract was revoked by the Ogun State government in 2016, had approached the court, which listed a Dassault Falcon 7X, a Boeing 737-7N6/BBJ and an Airbus A330-243 stationed at Paris-Le Bourget and Basel-Mulhouse airports, for seizure.
Reacting in a series of tweets on his X handle, Obi described the development as an international embarrassment, accusing the Tinubu government of operating in secrecy and running the government like a personal family asset.
“The trending international news on the seizure of three Jets belonging to Nigeria’s Presidential fleet is yet another of many embarrassing things exposing our failed leadership and our attitude to the rule of law even in a democracy.
“It has also exposed multiple dimensions to our leadership failure and our insensitivity to the plight of the growing poor class in our midst. The fact that the federal government went ahead with the jet deal despite the cacophonous cry against the purchase of a Presidential jet at this time when the people are going through a horrifying economic hardship shows the insensitivity of this administration.
“Added to it is the embarrassing aspect of our country’s Presidential jets being held for contractual breaches arising from yet another dimension of inadequate leadership tidiness. I have been loud in my demand over time that the government at all levels should be accountable to the people, meaning that they must be very transparent in all their dealings.
“Until a court in France prohibits Nigeria from moving or selling these three jets, Nigerians have no iota of information about both the buying and selling of these aircraft,” Obi said.
He said that the transactions was being done in secrecy, with Federal Government property, which belongs to the people, being managed as a personal family asset.
“Paying as much as $100m dollars for a Presidential jet for a country that is the poverty capital of the World and has more out-of-school children with over 40% food inflation is the height of concern for the people’s feelings.
“This incident has also opened up an aspect of indiscipline that is copiously embedded in our country which is the abuse and disrespect for the rule of law,” Obi said.
He wondered to what extent did the Ogun government follow its agreement with the Chinese firm and that after the UK court ruling that prohibited some Nigeria building in Liverpool, what did both Ogun state and Federal government do before the French court action?
He, therefore, challenged the federal government to come clean and transparent on this matter and tell Nigerians how the nation got to this latest international mess.
The Federal Government, responding in a statement, issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, accused the Chinese company of misleading the court.
Onanuga also said that Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, is working with Ogun government to quash the case.
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