Presidents Jonathans Private Jet Develops Technical Problem In Minna

President Goodluck Jonathan and some 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.
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. 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. 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). See as the are calling Billions/Millions like its small money. God help us in this Nigeria. SR.