Shelve plans to purchase new aircraft, FG told
..says Nigerians are suffering aircraft shouldn’t be your priority
The Campaign for Equal Rights and Opportunities for all Nigerians, CERON, has urged the federal government to shelve the plans to acquire new aircrafts for the Presidency given the biting economic hardship in the country.
The CERON Secretary, Francis Odiir in a statement weekend in Makurdi said it would be outrageous for anyone to contemplate the purchase of presidential aircrafts at a time when Nigerians had been overwhelmed by grinding poverty.
CERON said the lawmakers in the forefront of canvassing for the purchase of the new aircraft had clearly displayed outright insensitive to the plight of the Nigerian masses.
He said “it is clearly unacceptable that those in the vanguard of agitation for the purchase of the aircrafts are lawmakers who should be closer to the suffering people of Nigeria but it is becoming clearer that there is now a disconnect and they are not aware that Nigerians can no longer feed.
“How important is the purchase of aircrafts for the Presidency compared to what Nigerians are currently passing through at the moment and the urgent need to tackle the worst economic crisis we are witnessing in the country in recent time.
“It is in fact the height of insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians for this government to contemplate the purchase of aircrafts without addressing the economic crisis induced by the removal of fuel subsidy and floating of the Naira.
“The populace are already hungry and angry we must be precautions of the decisions we make or actions we take in order not to exacerbate the anger in the land.
“The plan to purchase new aircrafts should be shelved for now. Our leaders should concentrate on getting the country out of the present economic downturn so that Nigerians can breath well and live.
“The purchase of aircraft cannot be prioritised above the wellbeing of Nigerian. There are airplanes in the presidential fleet for the President and his Vice.
“And we know that many countries of the world do not keep fleets of aircrafts for their leaders. In fact we have on record that many leaders across the globe charter aircrafts if need be or fly first class. In a time of economic downturn our leaders should not take decisions that would create an impression that they do not care about the suffering of the people.”
