THE Chinese Government on Monday distanced itself from the legal scuffle between the Ogun State Government and the Chinese company, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Company Ltd., which involved the seizure and eventual release of some of Nigeria’s presidential aircraft, including a modified Airbus A330.
This was as the Presidency confirmed the purchase and delivery of the Airbus A330 business jet, which President Bola Tinubu flew from Abuja to Paris, France, on Monday evening.
The Head of Communication at the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, Gu Jiang, told this newspaper that “Chinese companies are private enterprises and do not belong to the Chinese government.”
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, who earlier released photos of Tinubu boarding the new aircraft, said it replaced the 19-year-old Boeing B737-700 (BBJ) bought under former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure.
The presidential jet became a subject of heated public debate when the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence agreed to buy new aircraft for the President and the Vice-President as the existing presidential jets were faulty and unsafe for use.
Meanwhile, the Senate President, GodsWill Akpabio, refuted the claims that the Red Chamber had approved the purchase of the Presidential jet, stating that the lawmakers would approve the request if it came before them.
Akpabio said, “We care about the President and the Nigerian people. We will approve things that will benefit the Nigerian people.
“We will approve things that would improve the living standard of the people. At the same time, we will also take cognisance of the duties of the President.”
“If his vehicle is bad, we will repair the vehicle. If his plane is bad, we will approve money to repair the plane. So, that is not an issue. There is nothing before us. I don’t think you should worry about it,” the Senate President added.
While reacting to the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, who described the plan as misplaced and insensitive, the Presidency justified the need to purchase a new aircraft.
It described Obi’s comment as insensitive, wondering if he would rather have the president’s life endangered by flying a faulty plane.
