may her soul rest in peace. iseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
BUT MANY IN THAT NATION WILL DIE SOON. ISHA ALLAH.
THOSE FOOLS GREEDY BASTARD THAT CALL THEMSELVES POLITICIANS
READ THE FOLLOWING
Presidential jets? Not a priority
By Sun News Publishing
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
The plan by the Federal Government to buy four new jets for the Presidential Air Fleet at a cost of $210 million (N31.5 billion) at this period of economic downturn and paucity of funds for critical development projects, is untimely and questionable.
Finance Minister, Dr. Mansur Muktar, who recently explained details of the plan provided for in the 2010 budget proposal, said the purchase was part of the phased replacement of four aged aircraft in the presidential fleet which has eight jets.
He justified the requirement for eight jets in the fleet, arguing that they are not only for the president’s personal use, but also for other top Federal Government officials, including the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Two of the aircraft are to be delivered in 2010, while the remaining two will be delivered, one each, in 2011 and 2012. Payment for the purchase is spread over three budget years with N100 million already paid to secure the order.
This explanation notwithstanding, the timing of this purchase is inauspicious. Buying presidential jets is clearly not a priority for Nigeria at this time. It is extravagant to buy four aircraft as there is no rule that says there must be eight jets in the Presidential Fleet at a time. One or two additions to the fleet could have sufficed, until the nation’s finances can support more purchases. This is more so considering the fact that the presidents of some better developed nations travel by commercial flights, or on their national carriers.
The Prime Minister of Britain, for instance, has been reported to take commercial flights. He has no special fleet of aircraft for his personal use. The American president travels on US Air Force 1, or any of the jets in the Air Force fleet. Presidents of many other countries use their national carriers. Nigeria will do well to emulate these richer nations, which still take care to minimize the cost of presidential travels.
While we place great premium on the safety and comfort of the president on his travels, the proposed huge expenditure on the jets could have been halved, with the rest going into improvement of general transportation in the country.
We say this because, for many years now, the condition of roads in most parts of the country, especially Federal roads, has been scandalous.
Rail and water transportation in the country are under-developed and inadequate. The promise of 6000 megawatts of electricity by December 2009 has failed. The Vision 20–2020 projection is yet to have a foothold. The 7 – Point Agenda is a mirage.
There are critical issues that should trouble the president and his ministers, if they take their mandate of improving the welfare of the people as seriously as they should. We can ill afford any wasteful expenditure at this time.
The explanation that the jets will also be used by the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives is also beside the point. The lawmakers are not entitled to private jets, and the aircraft will not add anything to national economic development.
But now that an order has been placed for the four aircraft and a first installment of N100 million paid, we urge the government to demonstrate good faith by urgently overhauling transportation in the country. Government should show more commitment to meeting the needs of the people in this regard than in multiplying expenses on purchase of jets for the presidency and the National Assembly leadership.
Posted: at 29-12-2009 03:43 AM (15 years ago) | Upcoming |
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