- Also Zambia President who rejected proposal to buy cars worth 1.8m dollars for entourage
By Abiola Olawale
There has been a significant reaction on social media following an announcement by the Federal Government regarding the procurement of new aircraft for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
True is the saying that the internet never forgets, and history is the best teacher.
This is as several Nigerians have started to recount occasions when prominent world leaders declined the opportunity to purchase cars or aircraft worth millions.
It would be recalled that a former president of Malawi Joyce Banda, who ruled from 7 April 2012 to 31 May 2014, dumped a presidential jet and fleet of luxury cars.
Banda, who came to power in April after the death of late President Bingu wa Mutharika, sanctioned the sale or lease of the country’s £8.4m presidential jet and fleet of 60 Mercedes government cars.
Check here
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jun/01/malawi-joyce-banda-discards-presidential-jet
Also, the incumbent President of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, rejected a proposal to buy cars worth $1.8 million for his entourage before he was sworn in as president.
A year after assuming office, Hichilema ordered the country’s head of public service to sell all luxury vehicles bought for government officials.
The vehicles in question were bought after the formation of the new government in the Southern African country.
The president expressed shock that some senior government officials, including ministers and permanent secretaries, were applying to buy luxury vehicles such as Land Cruiser VX when the purchase of such vehicles had been put on hold in the country.
Check here
https://thestreetjournal.org/zambias-president-hakainde-hichilema-rejects-proposal-to-buy-cars-worth-1-8m-for-entourage/
Meanwhile, in Nigeria, the reverse is the case. Economists who spoke with the New Diplomat on the condition of anonymity raised concerns about the government’s decision to invest significant funds despite the prevailing economic challenges in the country.
He questioned why Tinubu has not taken measures to reduce government expenditure, similar to the actions taken by Argentina’s President Javier Milei.
According to the economist, Tinubu should instead merge many ministries, sell off the N15bn mansion built for Vice President Kashim Shettima, cut down government expenditure by 50%, ban all foreign travel except when necessary and reduce salaries of public officers and those of Senators.
The New Diplomat reports that Argentina’s inflation rate came down drastically to 4.2% in May 2024, as per data released by the INDEC national statistics bureau.
The development which had been greeted by applause came amid Milei’s efforts to address the most severe economic crisis facing the country in several decades. President Milei, like President Tinubu inherited a comatose and inflation-ridden economy when he took office last December.
Milei since taking over office in December had slashed public spending by half, cut the Cabinet size by half, done away with tens of thousands of state jobs, suspended new public works contracts and ripped away fuel and transport subsidies as well as abandoned presidential jet, a familiar prestige travel plane for presidents.
