The Senate stated on Thursday that it was grappling with blackmail attempts over an alleged request by President Bola Tinubu to purchase new presidential jets.
According to Senate President Sen. Godswill Akpabio, who summarized the sentiments of the Red Chamber in Abuja, the “insinuations” in some sections of the public amounted to “anticipatory blackmail,” which he said did no good for either the National Assembly or the country as a whole.
Akpabio noted that it seemed some individuals possessed information of which the Senate was unaware and were intent on provoking the legislature to gauge its response to the claim.
He mentioned that upon first hearing of the claim that the Senate was about to approve a plane for Tinubu, he had clarified that no such request was before parliament.
Akpabio further informed his colleagues that his response had been twisted to imply that he said the Senate would never approve any request from President Tinubu.
The Senate President interpreted the twists and turns of events as an attempt to set up the legislature for what he termed anticipatory blackmail.
He added, “We will approve things that are in the interest of Nigerians. We are here to serve Nigerians. However, if the President’s vehicles are in poor condition, we will approve funds for their repair; if there are issues with the Presidential plane, we will approve funds for its maintenance.”
Akpabio recalled the recent air crashes involving the late Malawian Vice President Saulos Chilima and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi due to “faulty” planes.
He mentioned that while no one wished such misfortune upon a Nigerian leader, the Senate would not shy away from its responsibilities should the need arise to consider a request for a new plane for Tinubu.
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However, Akpabio emphasized that as of Thursday, when he last addressed the issue, there was no request for a new plane before the Senate, hence the insinuations that lawmakers were considering it were unnecessary.
Before Akpabio spoke, Senate Majority Leader Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele also condemned such insinuations, labeling them as the work of “fifth columnists.”
“Just to clarify, there are fifth columnists trying to destabilize this country. There is currently no request before this Senate for the purchase of planes. Therefore, there is no basis for the insinuations that we are discussing it,” he stated.
He noted, however, that if the President were to submit a request to parliament, it would not be a decision for Akpabio alone but a collective decision involving the 360 members of the House of Representatives and 109 senators.
“But, as of now, there are no such requests before the Senate,” Bamidele further explained.
Meanwhile, the Senate extended the implementation of the 2023 Appropriation Act and the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Act from June 30 to December 31, 2024. They cited the reason as allowing the Executive to complete ongoing projects rather than abandoning them.
Both amendment bills were passed on Thursday after undergoing first, second, and third readings on the same day.
Leading the debate before passing the bills, Bamidele recalled that the budgets had initially been extended to June 30.
He said, “Distinguished colleagues, you will recall that on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, these Acts were amended to allow for the comprehensive implementation of capital projects under them until June 30, 2024. The current extension expires on Sunday, June 30, 2024, and many projects remain unfinished.
“Therefore, this bill seeks to further extend the implementation period of the Acts to December 31, 2024, recognizing the strategic importance of key projects nearing completion and ensuring their continued implementation for the maximum benefit of the country.
“This extension will undoubtedly help prevent the compounding problems caused by abandoned projects. Hence, the enactment of this proposed legislation to extend the implementation.”
The 2023 budget amounted to N21.83 trillion, while the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Act was N2.17 trillion.
