• House committee summons NSA to explain state of presidential fleets
Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Ahmed Satomi, has revealed that the plane Vice President Kashim Shettima was travelling in to the United States, to represent President Bola Tinubu at the 2024 U.S.-Africa Business Summit, developed fault mid-air, one hour after take-off.
He said the aircraft was forced to return to Abuja, describing the development as an embarrassment to the country.
He urged the lower chamber to invite the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to appear before it to explain the circumstances surrounding the incident to prevent future occurrences.
Satomi, a member representing Here Federal Constituency, Borno, disclosed while briefing newsmen after his motion on the need to investigate the presidential air fleet was stepped down at the plenary, yesterday.
The presidency had, last week, in a statement said the vice president, who was originally scheduled to represent the President, was unable to make the trip following a technical fault with his aircraft, forcing him to make a detour on the advice of the Presidential Air Fleet.
In his motion of urgent public importance, Satomi noted that in April, President Bola Tinubu was forced to fly in a chartered plane from Netherlands to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to attend the World Economic Forum.
He added that Shettima similarly used a chartered jet recently as presidential jets were undergoing repairs.
He insisted that such an incident was a national embarrassment despite billions of naira budgeted yearly to maintain the air fleets.
Backing Satomi’s submission, a member representing Balanga/Billiri Federal Constituency, Gombe State, Ali Isah, maintained that the development should offer President Tinubu an opportunity to travel by road to enable him to understand the state of road infrastructure across the country.
He said: “I think this will afford our President and other leaders the opportunity to travel by road and appreciate the state of our roads.
“This happens all the time in some countries of the world.”
But Isah’s proposal did not sit well with Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, who presided over Wednesday’s plenary.
“Are you saying Mr President, the number one leader, should travel around by road,” he asked rhetorically amid support from All Progressives Congress lawmakers.
But supporting Isah’s position, the Minority Leader of the House, Kingsley Chinda, argued: “In Britain, the Prime Minister flies British Airways. I don’t see anything wrong with a public officer using commercial transportation.”
The Deputy Speaker, however, said it was not necessary to bring the motion before the whole House as it was within the duty of the relevant committee to investigate the incident.
