It has emerged that President Bola Tinubu did not seek the approval of Nigeria’s National Assembly before he embarked on the profilgacy of buying a new presidential plane worth over $130million dollars at a time he asked Nigerians to make sacrifices to rescue the country from historic economic mess.
The lawmaker representing Abia South Senatorial District, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, disclosed this on Monday when he appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today, saying nobody approached the National Assembly with a request for a new presidential jet before the purchase was eventually made.
Recall that the Presidency had in August unveiled a new Airbus A330 purchased for President Tinubu, despite the fact that the presidential fleet boasted of at least ten aircrafts, with the presidential jet, the one used by former president Muhammadu Buhari, not older than 30 years.
The purchase had left suffering Nigerians disappointed, and they accused the President of prioritizing his luxury over the economic hardship they faced.
National Assembly was also dubbed rubber stamp and members were accused of approving virtually everything Tinubu requested.
But responding Abaribe said, “I am in the national assembly, but I can tell you for a fact that nobody, quote me, nobody brought anything to the national assembly to say please approve this for purchase of a new plane.
“It was done without my knowledge, nobody brought anything. I never saw any document and I have always been in the national assembly. Ask anyone, none.”
According to him, the failure of the Presidency to approach the National Assembly with a request means that part of the job of the legislator to checkmate the executive is not being efficiently carried out.
The lawmaker regretted that the public sees the National Assembly as rubber-stamp, but noted that it is like that because the lawmakers feel that they have fought a lot without much results.
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