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Senate Will Approve Presidential Jet Purchase If ….- Akpabio

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6 months ago

Jun 27, 2024.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio affirmed that the Senate would approve the purchase of a presidential jet if necessary, while denying any current request and dismissing speculations as anticipatory blackmail.

Eko Hot Blog reports that Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Thursday declared that if there is a need for the purchase of a presidential jet for President Bola Tinubu, the lawmakers would not hesitate to approve it.

Akpabio emphasized that the Senate is committed to approving measures that benefit the Nigerian people while also acknowledging the duties of the president.

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He clarified that there is currently no request for the approval of a presidential jet purchase before the Senate, countering speculations in some reports. The Senate President further described such reports as anticipatory blackmail.

Akpabio made these remarks during plenary on Thursday while addressing social media claims regarding his stance on the purchase of a plane for President Tinubu.

“We care about the president and we care about the Nigerian people.

“We will approve things that will benefit the Nigerian people. We will approve things that would improve the living standard of the people. At the same time, we will also take cognizance of the duties of the president. If his vehicle is bad, we will repair the vehicle. If his plane is bad, we will approve money for the repair of the plane.

“So that is not an issue. There is nothing before us. I don’t think you should worry about it,” Akpabio said.

The Senate President also underscored the importance of the President’s safety, particularly in light of recent deaths of some world leaders due to the use of faulty jets.

“Somebody called me from the BBC, claiming that what I said at Senator Mongunu’s house was false and should be disregarded, alleging that I would not approve it. This is what you can call anticipated blackmail.

“The originators of the story are aware that there may be issues with the presidential fleet and are preemptively attempting to influence the parliament’s decision,” he added.

Senate Presidential Jet

“So I think that we should ignore them because of what we are doing here. I read the president’s correspondence to us. Nothing was touching on a plane or no plane, but I can tell you that when you hear stories such as the death of the vice president of Malawi as a result of a defective plane.

“And then you hear students such as the death of the president of Iran as a result of defective aircraft, we shouldn’t ever sit and allow such to be at the ocean. It wouldn’t be. The Senate is very responsible. The National Assembly is very responsible. We will look into issues that will benefit the governance of the country.”

Akapabio stated that despite the controversy generated by the reports of a planned purchase of new presidential jets, if the request comes in at a later time, the Senate consider it.