Calls for New Jet For Shettima Insensitive, Ignoring Economic Realities – Obi

Former Anambra governor and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has condemned recent calls for the Federal Government to purchase a new aircraft for the Vice President, calling the suggestion “insensitive and detached from the country’s harsh economic realities.”

In a post on X, Obi criticised Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkareem Lawan, for remarks about the Vice President’s aircraft faults as a disregard for the nation’s pressing needs and the severe economic hardship that Nigerians are enduring.

Obi pointed out that Nigeria has been named one of Africa’s worst-governed nations over the last decade, with worsening poverty and hunger levels placing it among the world’s 20 most impoverished nations.

He added that the country’s per capita income has plummeted from $1,700 in 2023 to $1,109, making it a global symbol of poverty.

Rather than prioritising luxuries like a new jet for the Vice President, our leaders should be focusing on rescuing the economy and easing the suffering of the people they serve, he stated.

Obi also noted the frequent collapses of the national electricity grid—eight times this year and 105 times in the last decade—crippling small businesses and impacting households nationwide.

Obi also referenced Indonesia as an example of prudent spending, noting that even with strong economic growth, the nation waited until 2014 to purchase a presidential aircraft, which serves both its President and Vice President.

He urged Nigerian leaders to exercise similar restraint and focus on essential, “highly contributory” travel only.

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? he queried.

Obi appealed to public officials, urging them to prioritise the country’s pressing issues over personal luxuries. He expressed confidence that Nigeria could rise again if its leaders commit to selfless service.

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