Obi slams call for new Jet for VP Shettima amid economic challenges

Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has criticized the recent call for a new aircraft for Vice President Kashim Shettima, deeming it “insensitive” given Nigeria’s current economic climate.

Obi shared his disapproval in a post on X, emphasizing that such a demand reflects a lack of awareness of the nation’s financial struggles.

The call for a new jet came from Abdulkarim Lawan, Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, who cited safety concerns for Shettima after a planned trip to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa was unexpectedly canceled on October 25. Lawan argued that the Vice President’s safety warranted an upgrade to his aircraft.

Obi’s statement resonates with growing public scrutiny over government spending, especially in light of widespread economic hardships across Nigeria.

Critics argue that resources should be allocated toward addressing urgent economic and social needs rather than additional luxuries for government officials.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga had said Shettima’s trip was cancelled due to damage to his aircraft by a “foreign object”.

Lawan, the speaker of Borno Assembly, Shettima’s home state, subsequently urged the Federal Government to purchase a new aircraft for the Vice President.

However, Obi said such a call was insensitive as “Nigerians are facing untold hardship at this moment is no secret”.

The former Anambra State governor said, “Such a provoking call is coming from a person who probably is oblivious of the fact that Nigeria, at present, has continued to manifest every trait of a failed state.

“We are today among one of the eleven worst-governed African nations in the last 10 years. We are also among the 20 most hungry nations in the world, with our people facing worsening mass poverty, extreme hunger and starvation.

“Our nation remains the poverty capital of the world, with our per capita income crashing further from $1700 in 2023 to $1109 this year.

“Are these not the issues that should be prioritized by committed leaders?

Our national electricity grid has so far collapsed 8 times this year alone and 105 times in the last ten years, plunging our small businesses into great losses and households into darkness.

“In the past 15 months, several businesses have closed down or become distressed due to the harsh economic environment in the country.

“Are these not the issues that should preoccupy us as leaders, rather than being consumed by our selfish desires for needless luxury at the expense of the people we are called to serve?

“What does Nigeria’s Vice President need a new jet for, and what value are all Presidential and Vice Presidential trips adding to our present situation?”

The Presidency had in August confirmed the purchase of a new Airbus A330 for President Bola Tinubu, a move that has been criticised by many Nigerians.