Presidential jet: Peter Obi slammed for opposing proposed procurement

An entrepreneur, Mike Emerah, has slammed the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, for opposing the purchase of a new presidential jet for President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Recall that a committee of the National Assembly reportedly recommended the purchase of new aircraft for the Presidential Fleet.

The lawmakers noted that aircraft in the Presidential Fleet had deteriorated, placing the lives of the President and Vice President at risk.

The recommendation was opposed by several Nigerians, including Peter Obi who argued that Nigerians cannot be dying of hunger and starvation while the Presidency is budgeting billions of Naira to procure a new jet for the President.

Reacting to the development, Emerah described Obi’s utterances as extremely negative.

“I am disappointed with Obi’s utterances because it seems to me that he wants the President of a whole country like Nigeria to die in a plane crash, just as some Presidents of other countries have died in the past while using rickety jets.

“Before now, I used to have much regard for and respect for Obi but with his latest utterances, my respect and regard for him has watered down.

“Even if the old jet must be sold, the presidency should first and foremost procure a sound jet before disposing off the old ones or repairing them and not vice versa.

“By the way, if I may ask, is Obi saying that the presidency should stop performing its statutory functions until the old jets are sold before a new one is procured or is he saying that the old ones must be repaired before the presidency will start performing functions and besides, what is the guarantee that the old ones are properly repaired and the yardstick that the repair has been properly carried out,” he said.