Those who accuse the leadership of Nigeria of being excessively wasteful and insensitive to the deplorable condition of the citizenry are not only right, they have once again found vindication in the recent decision by President Buhari to sell two of the planes in the presidential fleet. The reduction of course, does not end with the sale of the two jets as two other planes have also been handed over to the Nigeria Air Force for its operations. This move, certainly, is a step in the right direction and deserves commendation. But without any prejudice to the operational efficiency of the presidency, it is expedient to sell more planes in the presidential fleet. Keeping a fleet of six planes amid widespread poverty is still wasteful, not only because of the outrageous high maintenance costs; but these jets are deployed for frivolities that are of no value to the country. Global trends suggest public officials should scale down the cost of governance and roll back casual luxuries in public office. Buhari cannot continue making a public statement of opulence in a country where the majority of citizens live below the poverty line
The World Bank puts Nigeria’s GDP per capita at $2,758. It is an assault on logic that a country with such a paltry income and where about 70% of its citizens survive on less than $2 per day could still manage to delve into the public till to fund such an obscene and reckless display of opulence. The presidential air fleet currently has 10 aircraft: Boeing 737-800 (Eagle One), one Gulfstream 550, one Gulfstream V 500, two Falcons 7X, one Hawker Sidley 4000, two Agusta Westland AW 139 helicopters and two Agusta Westland AW 101 helicopters. The two Falcons 7X jets were bought in 2010 at the cost of $51.1million, and the Gulfstream 550 cost $53.3 million, according to the OBJ administration. The price of the other planes could not be ascertained. But according to official aviation market sources, the factory price of the other planes are: Eagle One ($59m); HS 4000 ($22.9m); Agusta Westland 139 ($12m) and Agusta Westland 101 ($21m).This amounts to a combined estimated value of $347.4m (N106.13bn).
The profligate presidential fleet is complemented with an extravagant motorcade and glamorous lifestyle. Only two domestic airlines have that many aircraft. In 2015, N5.19 billion ($15.6 m) was budgeted to maintain the presidential aircraft. According to reports, the government has spent N5bn in the last 15 months despite the biting economic recession in the country. The breakdown showed N2.3bn was released by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation between May and November 2015. That included personnel costs, overheads and capital expenditure. Of the balance, N99.715m was spent on maintenance, spares and subscription services. Likewise, N98.5m was spent on operations; N165.373m on training and N85.5m on personnel medicals and overheads. During the period, PAF spent N1.350bn to settle outstanding liabilities carried over from 2014 while N500m was refunded to the NSA for maintenance of the fleet prior to release of funds. By any standard, this is a lot of money at a time as this, when Nigerians are really hurting.
In 2010, when three planes were added to the fleet, then President Goodluck Jonathan had advised Nigerians to be “constructive in our criticisms so that we do not inadvertently encumber the rebuilding of our nation.” He said then: “The President of Nigeria must be transported safely at all times. The cost may seem exorbitant now, but it would be impossible to put a price tag on good governance and an efficiently run country, a promise that this administration is determined to deliver.” The rest as they say is history. All told, six planes in the presidential fleet are too many for a country like Nigeria. There are countries and leaders that have learnt to live within their means by decrying excessive consumption, yet provide good governance and efficiency. Former Uruguay President, José “Pepe” Mujica, used to live in a humble cottage, drove himself to work in a Volkswagen Beetle car and flew economy class. But his government provided free computers and education for every child.
In Britain, which boasts aircraft manufacturing companies, the Prime Minister and the Queen of England travel on commercial flights because the government’s aircraft for the PM lack transcontinental capability. Other civilized countries have learnt lessons in prudence. The President, Prime Minister and government officials in Singapore typically travel on regular scheduled commercial flights run by Singapore Airlines. Also, Hong Kong leaders travel on commercial aircraft. The example of the former President of Malawi, Joyce Banda, is instructive enough. When she was invited for a function in Nigeria, she wrote back that she could not afford the cost of transporting herself to Nigeria. A jet in Nigeria’s burgeoning presidential fleet had to be dispatched to convey her. She had earlier taken the unusual step – at least in the African context – of selling off the only presidential aircraft she inherited, alongside a fleet of 60 Mercedes limousines. Each of these is a classic case of leadership by example, not by precept.
The planned sale of the two presidential planes was in fulfillment of an electoral promise Buhari made during the 2015 campaigns, when he criticized past administrations for keeping a large presidential fleet amid widespread poverty. When he took office, Buhari said he knew our pain, because he had been there and pledged to provide the statesmanship, vision, capacity and sacrifice, to transform the nation. He regaled Nigerians with his tenacious pursuit of the presidency, saying he “belong to everybody and to nobody” which animated the hopes of ordinary people. But for all the fine talk, he has achieved little.
But this is not altogether surprising. When a government fails to get its priorities right, the result is often not different from what is currently being experienced in Nigeria. This is a country where over 11 million children, the largest in the whole world, roam the streets instead of being at school. Nigeria has the second highest infant maternal mortality rate in the world. The list is inexhaustible. While avoidable diseases ravage adults and children, Nigeria’s political office holders rank among the highest paid in the world, higher than those of the United States, Britain and other wealthy democracies. In the face of competing demands for scarce resources, the government still manages to flaunt wealth to the extent of making itself the laughing stock of the world and a liability to the citizens.
All told, the Presidency’s move to sell the two aircraft is a step in the right direction. Nigeria is one of Africa’s leading economies but it is now in its worst economic recession in years. Now that Buhari has awoken to this presidential insensitivity and irresponsibility, the National Assembly, though yet to purge itself of the notoriety of padding up budgets, owes Nigerians this one duty of making sure the Nigerian people are not short-changed in the sale of the two planes. There should be some painstaking efforts, at oversight; least this once, over the process.
