Buhari's Medical Trip: Presidential Jet Parking Fees Not Above £1,000 Per Day

The Presidency has decried criticisms, mostly on social media, of the retention in London of the Presidential Aircraft (NAF 001), as it waits for President Muhammad Buhari who is on medical vacation in the United Kingdom for the past 54 days.

Online reports had expressed outrage over claims that the Nigerian government had been paying £4,000 per day as parking fees for the  presidential since then.

A press statement issued by presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, said purveyors of such criticisms lacked understanding of protocol around foreign trips by Heads of State all over the world.

Shehu explained that established protocol demanded that the jet be anywhere a head of state at any given time in case of any emergency.

Besides, the presidency expects a diplomatic waiver for the parking fees, and in the event that does not happen, Nigeria would not pay more than £1,000 a day as charges, Shehu stated.

He further appealed to Nigerians to ignore the criticisms as antics of the opposition meant to unnecessarily distract and undermine the Buhari administration.

According to the spokesman, "it is important to state  that for reasons of protocol, national security, diplomacy and prestige, there is no world leader who travels abroad and is left without plans for immediate return or possible evacuation.

"From operational point of view, this country’s Armed Forces as represented by the Nigeria Air Force are not to abandon their Commander-In-Chief in whichever circumstance he is. This is a standard operating procedure.

"We have also read claims about outrageous fees allegedly paid by Nigeria. The published amounts are totally untrue. Aircraft conveying heads of state all over the world usually enjoy waivers even where payments for parking are differentiated by aircraft categories.

"We have been assured that where the waiver is not granted, payment will not exceed £1,000, which is a quarter of the amount being peddled.

"For the avoidance of doubt, this President is not the first to have a presidential aircraft standing by for him, as he will certainly not be the last.

"All past Heads of this country have had this privilege, and the part that surprises the most is that leaders who in the past travelled with three Nigerian aircraft did not suffer this trenchant criticism.

"We appeal to Nigerians to ignore opposition campaign aimed at derailing this administration's big plans for the country.

"This is a government that is constructing the Second Niger Bridge, the Mambila Power Plant, the East-West and the North-South standard gauge railway lines.

"We are a government that has saved this country an annual loss of two trillion Naira from fraudulent petroleum subsidy schemes by influential citizens and their children, and rid the public service of about 50,000 ghost workers.

"The Buhari administration certainly deserves a chance."