Prominent Nigerian economist and Labour Party chieftain, Prof Pat Utomi, has declared that Nigeria does not need a presidential jet fleet.
Utomi made this known in a post on his social media page, noting that the prime minister of Britain and the South African president use commercial flights.
He lamented that before the commencement of Air Peace Airlines, the president’s fleet used to be the largest in the country.
Utomi, a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria and a former presidential candidate was reacting to the presidential jet being impounded by a court order in France.
His words: ”So they impounded the Nigerian Presidential Jet? That is the ultimate symbol of national emasculation. How did we get here. Do we need a Presidential Jet fleet?
”Those who weaned us on the milk of the modern state, Britain, do not have such for their PM. But at one time before Air Peace the Presidential fleet in a Nigeria of poor people had more Jets than most commercial airlines in the country. Richer South Africa had their President flying Commercial even as the British PM hired BA planes to get the job done.
”So where did we learn this habit which allows family and friends to fly Presidential them to parties. One crashed on such a journey with an Abacha son.
”So if the reason for the unnecessary fleet is to project soft power, getting them to the point of impounding is the ultimate counter. In the 1st Republic PM Balewa journeyed from Lagos to his Bauchi home on 2nd class by train. Yet his arrival in Washington DC projected more soft power than those commanding Jet fleets.
”This democracy as government of politicians for politicians by politicians clearly is the death of rational cost-benefit analysis.”
