Presidential jet: Senate will approve if request comes – Akpabio

…Describes social media comments against Senate as ‘garbage’

Godswill Akpabio, president of the Senate, has said that the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly would approve the purchase of presidential aircraft for President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima if a request comes.

Akpabio, however, said that the president was yet to transmit the request to the National Assembly, and urged the Senate to disregard comments from the public insinuating that the legislators were prioritising a presidential jet over addressing the sufferings of Nigerians.

Read also: No request for presidential jet before us yet Senate

Speaking during a plenary session, Akpabio underscored the Senate’s responsibility to ensure the safety and efficiency of the nation’s leadership, citing the recent tragic death of the Iranian president and Malawian vice president in air crashes, as a reminder of the importance of a reliable presidential aircraft.

“When you hear stories such as the death of the vice president of Malawi as a result of a defective plane, and then you hear stories such as the death of the president of Iran, as a result of a defective helicopter, we should never dream and allow such to be our portion, it would not be.

“The Senate is responsible; the National Assembly is very responsible. We will look into issues that will benefit the governance of the country. Those speculating know very well that something like that may come in future, and if it is a necessity, the Senate will look into it. But there is nothing like that before us now. So, they can go ahead, it will not affect me,” Akpabio said.

He added: “We care about the president; we care about the Nigerian people. We will approve things that will benefit the Nigerian people. We will approve things that will improve the living standards of the people. At the same time, we will also take cognizance of the duties of the president; if his plane is bad, we will approve money for the airplane, so that is not an issue, but there is nothing before us”, he further said.

Read also: Senate extends implementation of 2023 budgets to December 31

The Senate president also told the lawmakers that the Senate must not be run by answering people on social media.

“I do not think we should worry about it, because social media is garbage in, garbage out, Akpabio said.