By Ogaga Ariemu The Senate President, Godwill Akpabio has said that the 10th National Assembly will not allow the plane crash incide...
By Ogaga Ariemu
The Senate President, Godwill Akpabio has said that the 10th
National Assembly will not allow the plane crash incidents which led to the
death of the Iran President and the Vice President of Malawi to befall Nigeria
over faulty presidential jets.
Akpabio at Thursday’s plenary said the Senate would not
hesitate to approve President Bola Tinubu’s request to replace faulty aircraft
in the Presidential Fleet if the need arises.
He, however, clarified that there was no such request for a
presidential jet approval before the lawmakers.
Meanwhile, Akpabio noted that no anticipated blackmail can
stop the Senate from approving the purchase for the President if the request is
made.
He said, “We care about the President and we care about the
Nigerian people. We will approve things that will benefit the Nigerian people.
“Somebody called me from BBC, that what I said in Senator
Monguno’s house was false and should be disregarded, that I was now saying that
I will not approve.
“That is what you can call anticipated blackmail. The
purveyors of the story know very well that maybe there is a problem with the
Presidential Fleet and that where they will go will be the parliament.
”And so they are now trying to do anticipated blackmail to
tell us if they bring it, do not look into it.
“So I think that we should ignore them because of what we
are doing here. I read the President’s correspondence to us.
“Nothing was touching on a plane or no plane, but I can tell
you that 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 defective aircraft, we shouldn’t
ever sit and allow such.
“The Senate is very responsible. The National Assembly is
very responsible. We will look into issues that will benefit the governance of
the country.”
Akpabio added, “Irrespective of anticipatory blackmail,
because those people know very well that something like that might come in the
future. If it’s a necessity, the Senate will look into it. But there is nothing
like that before us now.”
His reaction comes amid speculation that the Senate had
approved the replacement of faulty presidential jets.
Recall that the House of Representatives Committee on
National Security and Intelligence had recommended the purchase of new aircraft
for the President and the Vice-President, stating that the existing
presidential jets are faulty and unsafe for use.
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