Tinubu Can’t Pay N250,000 Minimum Wage but Buys $100 Million Presidential Jet, While Urging Nigerians to Exercise Patience – Sowore
Activist Omoyele Sowore Calls Out Tinubu-Led Government over Acquiring $100 Million Presidential Jet.
Abuja, Nigeria — Renowned Nigerian activist Omoyele Sowore accused the Federal government, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, of acquiring an Airbus A330 Presidential Jet at the cost of $100 million. He made the accusation while sharing a photo of the alleged jet on his Instagram page, which the sensitive and infuriated many members of the public.
According to Sowore, the jet, an A330-200, previously known as VP-CAC, is now registered as 5N-FGA. He said that what the government did was not only to procure the $100 million jet but had paid another $50 million for the configuration or rather, reconfiguration of the jet to a presidential aircraft, bringing all spending on the jet to the tune of a cool $150 million.
Sowore, in a post on Instagram, berated the government for such prioritized spending, emphasizing how far removed such expenditure was from any increment in Nigerian workers’ minimum wage. What he meant, therefore, was that the government could easily afford such a luxurious buy, but it finds it hard to look into the financial needs of its citizens.
“While they are telling you to ‘exercise patience,’ @officialasiwajubat already bought $100 million Presidential Jet and configured or reconfigured it with some $50 million and it is ready for delivery! The jet is an A330-200 initially christened VP-CAC is now registered as 5N-FGA,” Sowore wrote.
He went further to lambast the government for its cynical attitude to budgetary allocations, saying, “This was not in the annual budget, they can’t pay minimum wage for workers but could afford $150m for a private jet, students have to obtain loans to go to college but they could afford to approve billions for hajj even as the money/ies ended up being stolen.”
Sowore’s post reignites debate over government accountability, spending as many Nigerians lament use of public funds. His call to action, marked by the hashtag #RevolutionNow.
These allegations are yet to be responded to by the Tinubu administration. The claim has, however, added to the ever-increasing scrutiny of the government over financial decisions and commitment towards finding solutions for the economic plight of the masses.
The organised labour is demanding a minimum wage of 250,000 which the federal government led by president Bola Tinubu has refused to heed.
