President Jonathan’s N9bn jet develops technical problem in Minna

President Jonathan and some top government
officials yesterday Saturday March 8th escaped
an air mishap at the Minna Airport, Niger State,
when a presidential jet developed a technical
fault, while they were aboard, Punch reports. Find
full report below...
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).