Shettima’s Call for New Jet Sparks Controversy, According to Obi

Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has criticized the request for a new jet for Vice President Kashim Shettima. Obi, in a statement on a certain platform on Tuesday, accused the individual who made the demand of being insensitive to Nigeria’s ongoing economic difficulties.

The call for a new aircraft for Shettima came from the Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, after the Vice President’s plane encountered damage from a foreign object, causing him to miss the 2024 Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Apia, Samoa.

Lawan, who hails from Shettima’s home state, urged the Federal Government to acquire a new aircraft for the Vice President. However, Obi argued that such a request is inappropriate, considering the severe hardships Nigerians are currently facing.

Obi highlighted Nigeria’s status as one of the most poorly governed African nations in the past decade and its position among the 20 most food-insecure nations globally. He noted the country’s ongoing struggle with poverty, hunger, and starvation, as well as its position as the world’s poverty capital, with a per capita income of $1109 in 2024, dowfrom $1700 in 2023.

He questioned the necessity of a new jet for the Vice President, especially when the nation’s electricity grid has collapsed 105 times in the past ten years, causing businesses to close and households to endure power outages.

Obi’s comments follow the Presidency’s confirmation in August of the purchase of a new Airbus A330 for President Bola Tinubu, a decision that has received criticism from many Nigerians.