The Presidency gets approval to acquire Oboeing-sanjo Business Jet (OBJ1)

ABUJA- More details have emerged on how the $24 million earmarked to equip the Presidential jet, Oboeing-sanjo Business Jet (OBJ1) will be spent.

Speaking to State House correspondents, following overwhelming public support for the purchase of a jet that befits the president, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media, Mrs Remi Oyo stated that the $24 million will be spent strictly for the purpose for which it is earmarked, while promising that the Nigerian public will not be disappointed. Her words: "The truth of the matter is that there's no way this government will commit colossal sums of money to a project like this without making sure that it is sanctioned by the Nigerian public."

Oyo confirmed that the basic price for Oboeing-sanjo Business Jet (OBJ1) is only $31.5 million but a further $23.9 million will be spent to fit it, train personnel and buy spare parts, bringing the total to $55.4 million.

Reacting to Nigerian media reports that the proposed jet is overpriced, a spokesperson for the manufactures who spoke on condition of anonymity said yesterday there was nothing untoward about the price charged for the jet, particularly the price for its fitting, which he describes as "reasonable, considering".

A top Nigerian Aviation consultant told Foolscap that $23.9 million might seem huge just to furnish a plane and train personnel, but for a client like the presidency, the amount is right. "When manufacturers take an order," he said, "their procedure starts with getting to know the client so as to be able to recommend a model or type and the interior that is best suited to their lifestyle.

"This includes assessing the state of the jet they are replacing, vis-à-vis record of maintenance, wear and tear, etc. Relevant questions are raised, like: is the client a careful owner? Is he a frequent traveller? Is he a rock-star? For instance, rock stars are notorious for trashing planes, so manufacturers will consider an interior décor that can withstand their temperament. As regards our presidential order, it comes close to having a pop star as a client. I suppose it's like fitting a tearaway kid with new shoes. The shoes have got to be hardwearing, indestructible. Such shoes cost money."

Explaining further, he said: "I have been inside the presidential jet myself. It's amazing it has actually been carrying people and not cattle. The state of it! It looks like it's just been recovered from the war front. The interior looks like a disaster scene, like a typical teenager's room.

"Now, when you're giving a client like that a quote, you've got to reflect all that. And to be honest, a hard-wearing, knock-about interior with all the corresponding gizmos wouldn't come cheap, I tell you."

Justifying the cost of training personnel, he said: "Manufactures go about it the same way. For instance, it will cost you less to ask them to train, say, cats, because by nature cats are tidy and well clued up and there's not much more they can teach them. Ask them to train pigs and they will hit you with a heavy bill! Why, because pigs have no clue about basic hygiene and they don't care because it's not their money. What I'm trying to say is, at the end of the day, the presidency is paying through its snout for what it's getting."

However, another top aviation consultant we spoke to, put it slightly differently. "My colleague you spoke to might have sounded too harsh with the presidency, but nothing he told you was far from the truth. I can only soften the blow by adding that the phenomenon is not exclusive to the presidency. It pervades the entire public sector and all our public officers stand accused. They see anything that belongs to the State as fair game."