Metro

Nigerian govt spent N19bn on presidential jets in 15 months— Report

Published

2 days ago

November 12, 2024

A report released by GovSpend, a civic tech platform that tracks and analyses the spendings of the Nigerian government, has revealed that not less than N19.43bn was spent on the maintenance and operations of the Presidential Air Fleet from July 2023 to September 2024.

The report which was made public on Monday shows that such payouts by the federal government for 2024 amounted to N13.55bn, representing 66 per cent of the allocations for the fleet in the 2024 fiscal year.

According to Govspend, most of the disbursements were labelled ‘Forex Transit Funds,’ which are typically funds allocated for foreign exchange requirements to facilitate international transactions and engagements.

However in the context of the Presidential Fleet such funds are used to cover expenses related to operations outside the country, including fuel purchases, maintenance or services in foreign currencies, the report said.

It stated that in July 2023, N1.52bn was disbursed in two tranches of N846m and N675m for ‘Presidential air fleet forex transit funds’, while the following month, N3.1bn was disbursed in three tranches of N388m, N2bn, and N713m for the same item.

Parts of the report reads:

“In November of that year, N1.26bn was released to the Presidential Air Fleet naira transit account. The first overhead for 2024 came in March, where N1.27bn were disbursed twice, amounting to N2.54bn. The transit account received N6.35bn in April, N4.97bn in May and N210m in July.

“August saw the highest frequency of transactions, with N5.60bn released in six separate disbursements. Although these transactions were not clearly labelled, the monies were paid into the Presidential Air Fleet naira transit account, including the N35m transfer made in September.

“In late April, the transit account received N5.08bn; this came around y the same time the President was on a 6 two-nation tour to the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia.

“Although Tinubu arrived in the Netherlands in a state-owned Gulfstream AeroSpace 550 Jet, the aircraft could not proceed to Saudi Arabia due to unspecified technical problems. He reportedly continued his journey on a chartered private plane.

“At the time, the President’s Boeing 737 business jet was undergoing maintenance. It was later replaced with an Airbus A330 purchased for $100m in August through service-wide votes.

“The presidential fixed-wing fleet includes a Gulfstream G500, two Falcon 7Xs, a Hawker 4000, and a Challenger 605. Three of the seven fixed-wings are reportedly unserviceable. Meanwhile, the rotor-wing fleet includes two Agusta 139s and two Agusta 101s, all operated by the Nigerian Air Force but supervised by the Office of the National Security Adviser.

“In April 2023, three jets were put up for sale, but there were no specifics on which. However, efforts to sell one of the Dassault Falcon 7x and the Hawker 4000 in October 2016 stalled when a potential buyer reduced their initial offer from $24m to $11m.

“Since 2017, budgetary allocations for the fleet have shown a growing trend, with one exception in 2020. The allocation for the fleet increased from N4.37bn in 2017 to N20.52bn in 2024, showing a 370 per cent rise in running costs.

“In 2018, the fleet’s budget rose significantly by 66.13 per cent to N7.26bn, driven by a substantial increase in capital project allocations while maintaining similar levels for recurrent costs. This upward trajectory continued into 2019, slightly increasing the total allocation to N7.30bn.

“The exception came in 2020, when the budget dropped by nearly seven per cent to N6.79bn, primarily due to decreased overhead costs, a reflection of the global economic impacts of lockdowns and disruptions in operations.By 2021, however, the budget surged dramatically to N12.55bn—a record increase of 84.83 per cent from the previous year.

“In 2022, maintenance expenses for each aircraft ranged from $1.5m to $4.5m annually. The 2022, 2023 and 2024 appropriation acts earmarked N12.48bn, N13.07bn and N20.52bn respectively,” the report noted.

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Metro

Chinese mining giant CNMC set for $1.6 billion investment in Zambia

Published

8 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A Chinese mining giant, China Nonferrous Metal Mining Company (CNMC), has announced the investment of over $1.6 billion in Zambia, following successful discussions with President Hakainde Hichilema at the State House on Tuesday.

CNMC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Wen Gang, who held the discussions with Hichilema along with the Chinese Ambassador to Zambia, Han Jing, confirmed the company’s commitment to furthering Zambia’s economic development.

“We are actively investing in critical sectors of Zambia’s economy,” Gang said after the meeting.

He noted that CNMC was currently pumping water from Shaft 28 at Luanshya Copper Mine, where 29.9 million cubic liters have been cleared as part of intensified dewatering efforts, adding that the company plans to inject an additional $200 million to develop a greenfield mine on the Copperbelt.

President Hichilema who welcomed CNMC’s commitment, highlighted the potential economic impact of the firm’s investment which will include job opportunities for Zambians.

“This $1.6billion investment, alongside advanced technology and expansion, will extend operations and create more jobs and opportunities for Zambians, especially in mining contracting and supply,” the President said.

He also expressed gratitude to Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Chinese government for their shared commitment to fostering growth and cooperation between the two countries.

Metro

Mpox immunisation scarcity slows Kinshasa’s epidemic fight

Published

14 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A lack of mpox vaccine doses has prevented the Democratic Republic of the Congo from starting a campaign in the capital, Kinshasa, the response commander has confirmed. However, the number of cases nationwide is still rising, particularly among youngsters.

In mid-August, a new strain of pox started to spread from the Congo to neighbouring countries, prompting the WHO to declare a global health emergency. However, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, donors have been hesitant to turn their pledges into cash and vaccines.

The head of operations for Congo’s mpox control program, Cris Kacita, stated on Tuesday that the country needed more than 162,000 doses of vaccine to start a vaccination campaign in the capital, but that 53,921 doses were still available for use in prisons, where inmates are at greater risk because of unsanitary conditions.

The capital, which is home to about 20 million people, has so far been less impacted than other parts of the nation. In six other provinces, vaccination campaigns are now underway.

Along with additional shipments from Germany and the African Union, France has committed to providing 100,000 doses.

He added the arrival of vaccines was also delayed by the administrative process, which includes sending an official request, manufacturing, creating documentation and gaining import authorisations.

“As long as we don’t have the necessary quantity, it’s going to be complicated to launch (vaccination) in the 14 health zones,” Kacita told Reuters, referring to areas of Kinshasa.

According to a health ministry study, from October 28 to November 2, 1,017 new suspected cases were registered nationwide in Congo, including 45 confirmed cases and 16 fatalities.

Since children are almost four times more likely than adults to die from the new strain of mpox, the charity Save the Children warned on Wednesday that targeted vaccines were necessary to halt the virus from spreading quickly among children.

“Children are especially vulnerable to mpox – they explore by touch and taste, don’t always understand health guidance, and have weaker immune systems than adults,” Katia Vieira de Moraes LaCasse from Save the Children said.

According to Africa CDC data, there have been over 42,000 suspected cases of Mpox in the continent, with 1,100 deaths reported so far this year.

The Mpox virus can spread from person to person via intimate contact and also from place to person through objects and surfaces that a person infected with Mpox has touched.