top government officials on Saturday
escaped an air mishap at the Minna
Airport, Niger State, when a presidential
jet developed a technical fault, while
they were aboard.
The presidential jet, Nigerian Air Force
001 (5N-FGT), had earlier conveyed
Jonathan to Minna for the -Peoples
Democratic Party's North-Central rally
which held at the Trade Fair Centre,
Minna.
At the end of the rally, the President
returned to the airport in company with
top government officials, PDP state
governors and party chiefs for a trip to
Sokoto, from where he was scheduled
to return to Abuja.
However, several minutes after
Jonathan had bade farewell to those
who accompanied him to the airport,
and the door of the aircraft was shut,
the aircraft failed to move.
After many attempts, crew members
and engineers disembarked from the
aircraft and made spirited efforts to fix
the fault as armed security men took
strategic positions around it.
While this was going on, Vice-President
Namadi Sambo; President of the Senate,
David Mark; all PDP governors,
members of the National Assembly and
members of the Federal Executive
Council were watching under the
scorching sun.
When it became obvious that the fault
could not be easily fixed, the
commander of the Presidential Air Fleet,
Air Vice Marshal Uko Ebong, ordered
that a smaller presidential jet, 5N-FGW,
which conveyed the Vice-President to
the state be brought to fly Jonathan.
Jonathan disembarked from the faulty
jet at about 3.30pm and quickly moved
to the smaller aircraft.
He later left the airport in the smaller
aircraft at about 3:35pm, leaving behind
some of his co-occupants in the bigger
jet.
Sambo also had to join Mark in another
smaller presidential jet, 5N-FGV, which
had earlier conveyed the Senate
President to the state. Senator
Barnabas Gemade and a few other
dignitaries also joined them.
Those who were with the President in
the faulty aircraft before they
disembarked included the National
Chairman of the PDP, Adamu Muazu;
Chairman of the party's Board of
Trustees, Tony Anenih; former chairman
of the party, Ahmadu Ali; former
Sokoto State Governor, Attahiru
Bafarawa, and some presidential aides.
At the time of filing this report,
engineers were still battling with the
faulty jet on the tarmac in the deserted
airport while officials of the Federal
Airport Authority of Nigeria were seen
taking notes.
Some security men were left behind to
keep watch on the aircraft.
When asked for what was wrong with
the aeroplane, an official of FAAN simply
said, "The return engine refused to
pick."
Another source who pleaded anonymity,
said the hot temperature in the city led
to the fault.
"What the commander said was that the
high temperature affected the engine of
the aircraft," he said.
When asked why the hot weather did
not affect the two other presidential
jets, the source explained that the Air
Force 001 is "more digitalised than
others."
The incident occurred despite the fact
that in the past four years, at least
N48bn has been allocated to the
Presidential Air Fleet, a range of 11
luxurious aircraft which are at the
disposal of the President.
According to the 2014 Appropriation Bill
presented to the National Assembly by
President Goodluck Jonathan through
the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala, in December 2013, a
total of N4.91bn was earmarked for the
Presidential Air Fleet.
For the maintenance of the 10 aircraft
currently in the Presidential Air Fleet,
N1.52bn was allocated.
This was apart from the N747m
earmarked for the purchase of aviation
fuel for the aircraft already in the fleet.
The government earmarked the sum of
N2.66bn for other expenses on the PAF,
including international trainings for the
fleet's personnel, rehabilitation/
renovation/repairs of the PAF Barracks,
completion of a hangar project, tyre bay
tools and equipment, insurance
premium, cleaning and fumigation
services, 797 units of LG 2HP air
conditioners for the PAF Barracks and
refreshment and meals.
For the year 2013, a total of N7.5bn
was allocated the Presidential Air Fleet,
while in 2012, N15.6m was allocated for
personnel costs; N969m for overheads,
which included spare parts, checks,
aviation fuel; and N16.8bn was allocated
for a brand new plane for the
presidency.
In 2011, an N18bn allocation to the PAF
was tucked under a N105bn budgetary
allocation to the "Intelligence
Community."
Also, in the 2010 proposal, the
Presidency had proposed the acquisition
of four new aircraft for the presidential
fleet and had made a budget provision
of N23.4bn in that budget for them.
Experts have put the combined
estimated value of the 10 planes in the
presidential fleet at about $390.5m
(N60.53bn).
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