PeakNews Online
Abuja, Nigeria — The Senate has declared that it will not be deterred by any form of blackmail in its decision to approve funds for new presidential jets for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
This statement was made by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during an emergency session held on Thursday, which was convened to extend the 2023 supplementary budget implementation period from June 30th to December 31st, 2024.
Amidst media reports suggesting that President Tinubu had requested funds for new presidential jets due to faults in the existing ones, Akpabio emphasized that the National Assembly is facing unwarranted blackmail in anticipation of such a request. He underscored the importance of ensuring the safety of the country’s leadership, referencing recent tragic incidents involving faulty aircraft that claimed the lives of the President of Iran and the Vice President of Malawi.
“Let me thank senators for their patriotic act. First, they extended the budget life cycle to 30th of June. Now, they’ve extended it to 31st of December, 2024. I thank you for your timely intervention. This will enable our executive arm of government to continue with the provision of infrastructure to the people,” Akpabio stated.
Addressing the allegations head-on, Akpabio refuted claims made on social media that he had vowed to approve a private jet for President Tinubu. He clarified that the Senate would approve necessary expenditures, including repairs for the President’s plane or vehicles if needed, but would not be swayed by false reports or blackmail.
“It is not good to run the Senate on what we hear from social media. I was outside the country when a fake news was sent that I vowed to approve a private jet for President Tinubu. I never said that. We will approve things that will change the living standards of the people. If the plane of the President is bad, we will approve funds for the repairs. If his vehicles are bad, we’ll approve the funds for it. I’m being blackmailed. We should ignore the fake news and focus on our mandate,” Akpabio stated.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele also spoke, denouncing claims that the issue of purchasing new jets for the Presidential Fleet had been discussed. He accused unnamed parties of attempting to destabilize the National Assembly and the country with false information.
“This Senate is aware of the insinuation in some sections of the media that the President of the Senate had one time indicated that we had a request to purchase a new plane and that we had a request to approve the purchase. President Tinubu has said that he didn’t make that request. There are fifth columnists who want to destabilize the National Assembly and the country. There is no request for us to approve a new plane for President Tinubu. We didn’t discuss that at our closed-door session. I just want all of us to clear that,” Bamidele stated.
The Senate’s firm stance highlights its commitment to fulfilling its duties amidst external pressures and ensuring the continuous operation and safety of the nation’s executive functions.
