Opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives suggested on Wednesday that President Bola Tinubu should consider using commercial flights if the presidential planes are unavailable.
This assertion was made during a debate on the recent breakdown of presidential flights.
Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda and Minority Whip Ali Isa both argued that Tinubu should not hesitate to use commercial airlines if necessary.
Ahmad Satomi, a lawmaker from Borno State, initiated the debate by moving a motion of urgent public importance regarding the reported breakdown of the plane Tinubu used for his recent foreign visit.
Reports indicated that Tinubu had to charter a commercial flight from the Netherlands to Saudi Arabia due to the malfunction.
It was also noted that Vice President Kashim Shettima had to cancel a flight because of similar issues with his aircraft.
Satomi expressed concerns about the security implications of using commercial chartered flights and called for the House to summon the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Commandant of the Presidential Fleet for further discussion.
During the debate, Ali, a PDP lawmaker from Gombe State, reiterated that there is no issue with the President using commercial flights. His remarks received applause from the minority bench.
Minority Leader Chinda reverberated this sentiment, saying, “I have not seen anything wrong with a public official using a commercial flight. The Prime Minister of the UK uses British Airways. We should be thinking of how to revive the national carrier.”
Chinda added, “If we have a Presidential Fleet, we should be able to maintain them. If they need new presidential planes, the next budget is around the corner.”
He further suggested that the matter was not significant enough to warrant extensive debate in the House.
Given the mood of the House and the potential for the motion to be defeated, the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the session, ruled that the motion should be stepped down while the House Committee on National Security and Intelligence investigates the matter.
