Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 elections, has publicly condemned the recent call for a new aircraft for Vice President Kashim Shettima.
In a post on X, Obi accused the lawmaker advocating for the new jet of being “insensitive and indifferent” to the dire economic conditions currently affecting Nigeria.
The demand for a new aircraft arose after Borno State House of Assembly Speaker Abdulkarim Lawan expressed concerns for Shettima’s safety, citing a recent incident that led to the cancellation of the Vice President’s trip to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Apia, Samoa, scheduled for October 25, 2024. This cancellation was attributed to damage inflicted on his aircraft by a “foreign object,” according to presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga.
Lawan, representing Shettima’s home state, urged the Federal Government to acquire a new jet for the Vice President. However, Obi criticized this request as “insensitive,” pointing out that “Nigerians are enduring severe hardships” at this time.
The former governor of Anambra State remarked, “This outrageous demand comes from someone seemingly unaware that Nigeria is exhibiting all the signs of a failed state.”
He highlighted that Nigeria ranks among the eleven worst-governed nations in Africa over the past decade and is also listed among the twenty hungriest countries worldwide, with citizens grappling with escalating poverty and starvation.
“Our nation is the capital of poverty globally, with our per capita income plummeting from $1,700 in 2023 to $1,109 this year,” Obi stated. “Shouldn’t these pressing matters be the focus of responsible leadership?”
He also pointed out that the national electricity grid has collapsed eight times this year alone and has failed 105 times over the past decade, inflicting significant losses on small businesses and leaving households in darkness.
“In the last fifteen months, numerous businesses have shuttered or found themselves in distress due to the harsh economic climate,” he continued. “Shouldn’t these be the concerns that occupy our leaders’ thoughts, rather than indulging in selfish desires for unnecessary luxuries at the expense of the citizens we are meant to serve?”
Obi questioned the necessity of a new jet for the Vice President, asking what real value such trips add to the current situation in Nigeria.
