TAMBUWAL CAUTIOUS ABOUT USING PRESIDENTIAL JET

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, may have adopted a cautious approach to the use of jets on the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF).

He may have his other reasons, but those who work closely with him told Sunday Independent that Tambuwal may be responding to insinuations in Aso Rock whose occupants accuse the Speaker of insubordination.

The thinking within the circles of those working with the Speaker is that the Presidency is continuously looking for ways to undermine the power and status of Tambuwal, not minding that he is a ranking member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The occupants of Nigeria’s seat of power, Sunday Independent gathered, are alleged to have severally accused the Speaker of insubordination, and would stop at nothing to cut him to size, including refusing him the use of the jets on the PAF.

The Presidency is believed to be doing so in active collaboration with the leadership of the PDP.

But the PDP has washed its hands of any gang-up against the Speaker.

We gathered that the Speaker always suffers humiliation over requests for aircraft on the PAF not withstanding that he is the fourth most ranking Nigerian in government who must be allowed access to them for official assignments.

Those entitled to the jets on the PAF compulsorily include the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and, perhaps, the Chief Justice of Nigeria.

Nigerians may not have known, but Sunday Independent got it on good authority during the week that Tambuwal jumps from one commercial airline to another since he emerged Speaker barely two years ago in an attempt to discharge his official duties because some people in power have allegedly vowed to deal with him because of the circumstances that threw him up.

We learnt that following the manner Tambuwal and his Deputy, Emeka Ihedioha, emerged, some powers-that-be in the Presidency and PDP swore to take it out on them, particularly the Speaker.

According to our source, Tambuwal was said to have got tired of “begging for the opportunity to use the presidential jet,” one of the things considered a paraphernalia of his office like the other senior government officials.

Keen watchers of the development believe that Tambuwal’s right to the Presidential jet may have been ceded to President Goodluck Jonathan’s numerous political hawks and some, his aides, whose stock-in-trade is to sow seed of discord between Aso Rock and other political office-holders.

One Presidency source told this newspaper last week that Tambuwal, statutorily, should benefit from the presidential jets, not because of his person, but because of his office.

The source said Aso Rock should even be worried if the Speaker does not use the presidential jet like others who are entitled to same as often.

According to Sunday Independent findings, though the Presidency creates the impression that there is love lost between it and the office of the Speaker, the latter was said to have decided not to be bothered anymore about availability of tools he needs to work, like the jet.

A ranking House of Representatives member told this newspaper that Tambuwal has deliberately refused to join issues with those denying him use of presidential jets because he believes that “riding in them does not make one a better human being than those who do not.”

The lawmaker regretted that “petty politics has been deployed to what ordinarily should be the pride of the nation and the holder of the office of the Speaker.”

According to him, the politics of hate, which the PDP practises every now and then, has not in any way helped the party or the so-called leaders who think they are all-knowing.

The Speaker could not be reached to comment on the matter personally; but one of his aides confirmed to Sunday Independent that “Tambuwal has been refused access to the Presidential jet on several occasions since he emerged Speaker because the Presidency and the PDP accuse him of violating the party’s constitution..

“The Speaker goes about on commercial flights and, depending on the nature of other assignments, charters a flight. They think they are punishing Tambuwal, but the truth is that they are doing great damage to the office of the Speaker and, invariably, the image of the country,” the aide said.

The Speaker’s aide recalled that his boss had been allowed access to the presidential jet for just two times since he assumed office in 2011.

He identified those two periods as when the Speaker went to Saudi Arabia to plead on behalf of Nigerian pilgrims on hajj who were humiliated by the Saudi government last year and were repatriated, and when Tambuwal went to Sokoto.

On both occasions, the executive was said to be interested in the matters that the Speaker went for and apparently could be said to be the one that sent him on the errand.

The PDP has distanced itself from the development. National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metu, told Sunday Independent during the week that, “PDP as a party has no business with both the Presidential Air Fleet and who is assigned what jet,” noting that it is not part of the party’s responsibility.

Speaking for President Jonathan, the Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati, said it is not possible for the Speaker to be denied access to the aircraft on the presidential fleet.

Abati told Sunday Independent that “the PAF has so much aircraft and even more than enough to be able to accommodate the need of the Speaker,” adding that the Presidency does not have any reason to stop Tambuwal from using a facility he is entitled to.

However, Abati added that the choice is also that of the Speaker to request an aircraft from the PAF if he has need for one, noting that the Senate president, David Mark, uses the presidential jet without inhibition.

To further demonstrate that the Speaker determines whether he wants to use the presidential jet or not, Abati said, the government at times makes the facility available to some foreign heads of state who do not have such any time they are on official visit to the country.

Also, he said even some key government officials who are not among those that must compulsorily use the jets are at times given the opportunity, particularly if they can afford to pay the amount required to hire jets.

Besides Abati, a very knowledgeable source in the Presidency explained to Sunday Independentthat use of the aircraft in the PAF by top government functionaries is based on request.

According to the source, “even the President, who has a dedicated aircraft for his use, applies for it, just like the Vice President and others, and as is required of all other senior government officials who may want to do so.”

He said the aircraft are not forced on any of the officials, including leadership of the National Assembly, but only made available to them when they formally request, because records of use have to be logged for maintenance and safety purposes, the source stated.

The source added that ministers and governors are also entitled to the use of the aircraft in the PAF, so long as the use is deemed appropriately official, especially if they are representing the Federal Government or on a mission assigned by the President, which is not unusual.

According to the source who has deep knowledge of operations of the PAF: “Use of aircraft in the presidential fleet is based on request and approval. Government officials, who are entitled to use them, have to apply for their use, even the President.

“Aeroplanes are not like bicycles that you can just hop on and ride away. Here, everything has to be logged and documented; like who needs it, to where and for how long it is to be used, among other things.”

The source pointed out that while only the President and Vice President have dedicated aircraft in the fleet for their use, the rest of the planes are available to senior government officials who are equally expected to formally request for them anytime they have need of such.

It was also explained to Sunday Independent that use of the planes by government officials is not compulsory, as “it is like the case of some people who do like using their official cars.”

But a source close to Tambuwal said the Speaker must have got tired of begging for the opportunity to use the jets, since the alleged impression in Aso Rock circles is that he is recalcitrant.

Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Umar (rtd), who spent 16 years of his career in the Nigerian Air Force in the Presidential Air Fleet had said in 2011 while justifying the need for more aircraft to be bought for the Presidential Air Fleet that: “PAF is a very important unit, not just to the Air Force but to the country as it is responsible for the safe passage of Mr. President, the Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and other top officials of the Nigerian government.”

The Federal Executive Council had on August 12, 2010 approved $102 million for the purchase of two Falcon 7x and $53.3 million for one Gulfstream G550 aircraft to beef up the PAF.

The second Falcon 7x was expected to arrive the country during the second quarter of 2011.

During the maiden tour of Umar, commander of the PAF, Air Commodore Adesola Amosu, had reported that, “the fleet had a total of 10 aircraft, comprising one Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) which is reserved for Mr. President, a Gulfstream V (GV) reserved for the Vice President and another Gulfstream IV (GIV), two Falcon 900Bs, one HS.125-800, one Dornier 228, two configured AugustaWestlan AW helicopters and one Augusta 109E helicopter recently approved by the Chief of the Air Staff to aid the President’s movement.”

Source: Dailyindependent