Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, says the seizure of three presidential jets by a French court is an international embarrassment to Nigeria.
Earlier, a Paris Judicial court in France ordered the seizure of three jets following a dispute involving an arbitration award in favour of Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Ltd, a Chinese firm.
The court ruled that the Chinese firm should use the three jets at the Paris-Le Bourget and Basel-Mulhouse international airports “as security for its claim of EUR 74,459,221”.
The federal government has put two of the jets up for auctioning.
The seized jets are Dassault Falcon 7X, with registration number 5N-FGU, Boeing 737-7N6/BBJ, with registration number 5N-FGT, and Airbus A330-243, with registration number 5N-FGA.
However, in a statement, Obi frowned at the frowned at the secrecy involved in both buying and selling of presidential jets, which he described as “property of Nigerian people”.
“The trending international news on the seizure of three Jets belonging to Nigeria’s Presidential fleet is yet another of many embarrassing things exposing our failed leadership and our attitude to the rule of law even in a democracy,” the LP candidate wrote on his X handle on Thursday.
“It has also thrown multiple dimensions to our leadership failure and our sensitivity to the plight of the growing poor class in our midst.
“The fact that the federal government went ahead despite the cacophonous cry against the purchase of a Presidential jet at this time when the people are going through a horrifying economic hardship shows the insensitivity of this administration.
“And added to it is the embarrassing aspect of our country’s Presidential jets being held for breaches arising for yet another dimension of inadequate leadership.
“I have been loud in my demands over time that the government at all levels should be accountable to the people, meaning that they must be very transparent in all their dealings.
“Until a court in France prohibited Nigeria from moving or selling these three jets, Nigerians had no iota of information about both buying and selling.
“It has been done in secrecy. Federal Government property, which belongs to the people, is being managed as a personal family asset.
“Paying as much as $100m dollars for a Presidential jet for a country that is the poverty capital of the World and has more out-of-school children with over 40% food inflation is the height of concern for the people’s feelings.
“This incident has also opened up an aspect of indiscipline that is copiously embedded in our country which is the abuse and disrespect for the rule of law.
“Here are questions begging for answers- To what extent did the Ogun state government follow its agreement with the Chinese firm?
“After the UK court ruling that prohibited some Nigeria building in Liverpool, what did both Ogun state and Federal government do before the French court?
“I would like to, therefore, challenge the federal government to come clean and transparent on this matter and tell Nigerians how we got to this international mess.”
