President Bola Tinubu and his entourage departed Lagos for Pretoria on Tuesday to attend the inauguration of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa aboard two private jets, MUK TV has been informed.
Accompanied by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, and other officials, Tinubu bypassed the faulty presidential aircraft.
Am anonymous source present at the departure disclosed, “They went in two private jets. Of course, you are aware that the presidential jets are no longer in good shape,” as reported by The Punch.
Efforts to confirm this from the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, and Minister of Information, Idris Mohammed, were unsuccessful.
Tinubu left the Presidential Wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, on a Dassault Falcon 8X at around 11:06 am.
According to presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu is set to attend Ramaphosa’s inauguration following his re-election for a second term.
This development comes just 24 hours after the Presidency responded to Labour Party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi’s objection to the acquisition of new aircraft for the presidential fleet.
The House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence had recently recommended new aircraft for Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima, citing an investigation into the status of the current fleet.
Obi criticized the move on his X handle, calling it unfortunate amid the nation’s economic hardships.
The Presidency, however, dismissed Obi’s comments as insensitive. Onanuga challenged Obi’s stance, questioning if he would prefer the President risk his life by using faulty aircraft.
“Does Peter Obi want the President dead? Is that his wish? Does he want him to continue moving around in a rickety plane and die like the VP of Malawi and Iran President? Let him tell us. This is a basic thing any sane government will do. You can’t toy with your President’s welfare. Why will any right-thinking person still want the President to move around in it? In this way, it is the National Assembly that officially recommended that new ones should be bought. Sometimes, Peter Obi opened his mouth to make unnecessary statements,” Onanuga stated.
