A former Chairman of the Investigating Committee for Crude Oil Theft in the House of Representatives, Mark Gbillah, has called for the release of the House’s report on the investigation into the faulty presidential jet.
Gbillah, who represented the Gwer East/Gwer West Federal constituency of Benue State in the 9th Assembly, believes that the jet’s issue may have been due to a lack of maintenance, despite its operational lifespan still being within acceptable limits.
“I would encourage the National Assembly to make it public. Every decision concerning this issue should be made public,” Gbillah said on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm.
“We can even invite other experts to tell the National Assembly the true situation and the condition of our presidential fleet which I believe should be in good flying condition once every maintenance is made and if there are repairs to be done, those can be done.”
In April, President Bola Tinubu had to use a commercial flight to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh after the aircraft he travelled with to the Netherlands developed a fault.
Similarly, Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s aircraft encountered an engine fault mid-air, forcing him to abort his trip to the US.
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A committee of the House of Representatives had recommended purchasing two new aircraft for the president and vice president. However, Gbillah advised against this, citing the deteriorating living conditions in Nigeria.
“If there has been an investigation about what transpired with regards to the aircraft, it should be made public. We have professionals replete in this aviation sector with knowledge about the industry.
“We do not need to go into procuring new aircraft at this time. The fact that something happened when Mr President flew to Paris and couldn’t fly to Saudi Arabia might not be something to do with the plane being faulty.
“It might have been an oversight on somebody’s part. It might have been a lack of maintenance. I do not think this is a time to be procuring new aircraft, that is being insensitive,” Gbillah said.
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Senate President Godswill Akpabio also addressed the issue, stating that the Senate would consider a request for a new presidential jet if necessary but dismissed claims that such a request was imminent.
He refuted claims that the National Assembly is indifferent to the masses, stressing their commitment to the well-being of all Nigerians.
“The Senate is very responsible. We will look into issues that benefit the governance of the country,” Akpabio said during a plenary session on June 27.
“That is what you can call anticipatory blackmail. The purveyors of the story know very well that maybe there is a problem with the presidential fleet and that where they will go will be the parliament.”
