The House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence has decided to form a technical committee to address the recurring malfunctions of the presidential aircraft.
This decision followed a closed-door meeting held on Monday, May 20, 2024, between the committee and the commander of the Presidential Air Fleet, Air Vice Marshal Olayinka Olusola, at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
The discussion centered on the recent necessity for President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima to use chartered planes due to issues with the presidential fleet.
In April, President Tinubu had to charter a plane from the Netherlands to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to attend the World Economic Forum.
More recently, Vice President Shettima canceled his trip to the United States, where he was scheduled to represent President Tinubu at the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit, because of a faulty aircraft.
The decision to form a technical committee followed a debate on a motion of urgent public importance brought to the floor by Ahmad Satomi, Chairman of the House Committee on National Security and Intelligence.
The lawmakers resolved to summon the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Commander of the Presidential Fleet to explain the frequent breakdowns of the planes despite significant budget allocations for their maintenance.
During the debate, House Minority Whip, Isa, suggested that the President and Vice President should consider traveling by road to understand the state of the country’s infrastructure.
After the executive session, Satomi briefed journalists, stating, “The committee has engaged the commandant of the presidential air fleet, the NSA and a lot has been discussed. It is a very sensitive national security issue that has to do with our President. And looking at our role in the foreign policy position of Nigeria, this is not something that we will come out publicly and discuss. Nevertheless, a lot has been explained.”
He continued, “The committee resolved to set up a small technical committee to interface with the NSA, commandant, and all the stakeholders within a short period to come up with a final resolution that will foster the best for Nigeria, our President and the entire team of the presidential air fleet.”
Regarding the condition of the aircraft, Satomi clarified, “For now, we have not resolved on that. The entire presidential air fleet is okay for now. It is not the issue of either to repair or to think of getting new ones. All that we know is that as a country, our position in global policy — we need something that will represent our image because our pride will show how Nigeria is.”
He concluded by addressing media speculation, stating, “Some of the incidents are just media propaganda. It is not what we expected or what we thought happened. It is something different.”
