Controversy has trailed the use of a presidential jet by one
of President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughters, Hanan, to a private function in
Bauchi State.
The photographs of Hanan disembarking from a presidential jet went viral on social media.
Hanan, who recently graduated with a first-class degree in photography from Ravensbourne University, London a few months ago, was pictured disembarking from a presidential plane in Bauchi on Thursday to attend a Durbar in the city at the invitation of the Emir of Bauchi, Rilwanu Adamu.
Also, Aisha Buhari, on Monday tweeted a video of Hanan, one her daughters, waving at a crowd from the presidential jet.
The 55 seconds clip, accompanied with a musical background, showed Hanan capturing the culture of Bauchi people.
She was a special guest of honour at the event.
Reacting to the development, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a statement yesterday by its spokesman, Mr. Kola Ologbodiyan, described it as “the worst form of corruption” and abuse of office.
The party further said the use of the jet by the president’s daughter is “provocative, condemnable, completely improper and an unpardonable slap on the sensibility of millions of Nigerians, particularly, the youths, who look up to the president for integrity, uprightness and respect for rules.”
Ologbondiyan added: “It is even most appalling that instead of apologizing to Nigerians, the Buhari Presidency, in its arrogance, is resorting to falsehood and trying to justify the inexcusable. “Our party holds that Mr. President should apologize for approving that her daughter uses the Presidential jet just for the purpose of allegedly taking photographs in a Durbar event in Bauchi state. Perhaps, the Buhari Presidency forgot that it is public knowledge that the Presidential fleet can only be authorized for use by the President, the First Lady, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, former Presidents, Presidential delegation and no one else.
“Moreover, the rules do not grant the President any powers to transfer any paraphernalia of office or privileges of his position to any of his children. The Presidency’s defence is, therefore, a direct spat on millions of Nigerians who cannot freely ply our highways because Mr. President and his party the APC, have failed to fix and rid our roads of kidnappers and bandits, who have practically taken over major routes under their despicable watch. Nigerians could recall how President Buhari heavily accused and criticized previous administrations of voting and wasting huge resources to maintain the Presidential fleet and promised to sell off most of the planes to save cost.
“Since President Buhari assumed office, none of the planes has been sold. Instead, the Buhari Presidency has continued to budget more funds for the fleet with N8.5 bn budgeted for 2020 alone, only to approve that his daughter uses a Presidential jet for her private photography event.” The PDP urged the Buhari Presidency to respect the sensibilities of Nigerians by immediately withdrawing his provocative justification and show leadership by apologizing to the nation for this “abuse of office.”
Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifer also reacted saying the president should dissociate apologise to Nigerians for the abuse of the presidential aircraft.
Spokesman for the organisation, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, who described it a waste of tax payer’s money, said in a statement that the president’s family could only use the jet when he is onboard, adding that Nigerians only elected the president and not any member of his family.
“If the president was in that plane, any member of his family can be there, no doubt. But for any member of his family to carry the presidential jet and be going around the country for photo-shoot, it is corruption and abuse of office.
“We didn’t elect any of the members of his family. He is our elected president. I am shocked that Garba Shehu will come out and defend that.
“There was a time Bill Clinton as American president used the presidential jet to attend a dinner that was not official; he got a bill for it. That was a sitting president of the United States. We are doing things here as if we are a banana republic.
“For his place in history, the president should dissociate himself from Garba Shehu’s comment and apologise to this country. It is not for today but his place in history,” he said.
Also commenting on the matter, a senior advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana said the use of aircraft in the presidential fleet by members of the first family for private events is not backed by law.
Falana said in a statement argued that official policy of the federal government “does not authorise the children of the President to use the presidential jets to attend to private social functions”.
“In fact, there is no precedent whatsoever for such privatisation of the presidency of Nigeria,” Falana added.
He said Buhari had promised to reduce the cost of maintaining aircraft in the presidential fleet, which according to him, stands at N8.5 billion in the 2020 budget.
“The so called ‘normal practice’ of using the aircraft in the presidential fleet by members of the first family to attend to private engagements is not backed by any extant law or official policy,” he said.
“In view of the foregoing, we call on President Buhari to stop the members of his family from using any of the aircraft in the presidential fleet “with a view to cutting down on waste”.
“A country that is said to be the headquarters of the greatest number of poverty stricken people in the world cannot afford to waste billions of Naira on the use of presidential aircraft and hiring of commercial jets by state governors that are owing workers several months of unpaid salaries.”
Responding, presidential spokesman, Mr. Garba Shehu said the mission to Bauchi was “duly authorised” and that the presidential fleet is available to the “first family and four others.”
“It wasn’t an impromptu or improper trip because it followed normal procedure. The presidency informed the national security adviser of the mission who, in turn, informed the commander of the presidential air fleet.
“The normal practice in existence for a long time is that the presidential air fleet is available to the President and the first family and four others. These four are the vice president, the senate president the speaker and any other person(s) authorised by the president,” he said.
