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FG votes N19bn for VP’s aircraft engine, others

Published

9 months ago

January 13, 2026

The Federal Government has allocated a cumulative N10.61bn for the overhaul of engines on the Gulfstream G550 aircraft assigned to Vice President Kashim Shettima over a three-year period, an analysis of appropriation bills from 2024 to 2026 has revealed.

The aircraft, registered as 5N-FGW, received the highest single allocation among all engine overhaul projects in the Presidential Air Fleet, accounting for 55 per cent of the N19.27bn total spent on engine maintenance across the fleet under the President Bola Tinubu administration.

Budget documents obtained and analysed by The PUNCH show that the allocation for overhauling the vice president’s aircraft engines jumped from N1.24bn in 2024 to N5.51bn in 2025—a 345 per cent increase—before settling at N3.86bn in 2026.

The 2024 Appropriation Bill listed the project under code ERGP31206170 as “Overhaul of 5N-FGW Engines” with a “NEW” status and an allocation of N1.24bn. By 2025, the project’s status changed to “ONGOING” with the allocation rising to N5.51bn, before declining to N3.86bn in 2026 while maintaining its “ONGOING” status.

The 13-year-old Gulfstream G550, which flies under the call sign “Nigerian Air Force 2” when carrying the vice president, has been plagued by technical faults that have led to cancellations of Shettima’s international trips in the past.

In May 2024, Shettima was forced to abort his trip to the United States for the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit in Dallas, Texas, after the aircraft developed a technical fault mid-flight.

The incident occurred less than a month after President Tinubu was compelled to charter a private jet to Saudi Arabia when the same Gulfstream jet, originally assigned to the vice president, developed an oxygen leak in the Netherlands. Four months later, in October 2024, the vice president again cancelled his trip to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in Samoa after a foreign object hit the aircraft during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York.

Presidency officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to our correspondent, said the repeated technical failures may have prompted urgent maintenance, which in turn drove the escalating budget allocations.

Aside from the vice president’s aircraft, the FG also allocated funds for overhauling engines on two Falcon 7X jets (registered 5N-FGV and 5N-FGU), which received N1.66bn in 2024, N3.13bn in 2025, and N2.19bn in 2026, totalling N6.98bn over the three years. Additionally, a Gulfstream jet registered 5N-FGS received N1.68bn for engine overhaul in 2024, though no further allocations were made for it in subsequent years.

In total, engine overhaul projects across the Presidential Air Fleet consumed N4.58bn in 2024, N8.65bn in 2025, and N6.05bn in 2026, bringing the three-year aggregate to N19.27bn.

A close study of the allocation patterns revealed that engine maintenance costs peaked in 2025, a year after the Presidency took delivery of the N150bn Airbus A330, which the Spokesman to the President, Bayo Onanuga, argued would “save Nigeria huge maintenance and fuel costs, running into millions of dollars yearly.”

While engine overhaul spending for older aircraft declined by 30 per cent in 2026 compared to 2025, routine aircraft maintenance allocations under line item 22020407 increased by 10 per cent, from N4.12bn in 2025 to N4.54bn in 2026.

Aviation experts say aircraft age influences maintenance costs.

“These aircraft are not new. The older the aircraft, the higher the cost of maintenance and operation. So, the cost will increase over the years,” said General Secretary of the Aviation Round Table, Olumide Ohunayo. He argued that the Gulfstream G550, now 13 years old, requires increasingly frequent and expensive overhauls as critical components, such as engines, approach the end of their operational lifespan.

“The figure likely includes far more than the direct cost of repairing the aircraft,” Chief Executive Officer of Centurion Security Limited, John Ojikutu, stated.

“Engine overhauls are mandatory at specified intervals, regardless of whether the aircraft has been flown extensively or not,” explained an aircraft maintenance engineer who requested anonymity. “For a jet like the G550, a complete engine overhaul can cost anywhere from $1.5m to $3m per engine, depending on the condition and the extent of work required. If you see the cost increase, it could mean they’re replacing major components, not just doing standard checks. It could also show that they deferred previous maintenance and have to do catch-up work.”

The Presidential Air Fleet, managed by the Nigerian Air Force and headquartered at the Presidential Wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, currently operates 10 aircraft, including six fixed-wing jets and four helicopters.

Critics have long argued that Nigeria’s presidential fleet is among the largest in Africa and disproportionately expensive for a country grappling with severe fiscal constraints.

The Executive Chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, argued that the administration’s spending habits were opposite to Nigerians’ expectations of frugality.

“What we are getting from this administration is the opposite of our expectations. We thought we would have an administration that would be frugal in spending and very meticulous in implementing its budget. But what we are getting is an administration that has fallen in love with profligacy, that doesn’t see anything wrong in living big in the midst of a poverty-stricken nation,” said Adeniran.

The House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence had in 2024 recommended the procurement of new aircraft for both the president and vice president, citing high maintenance costs and safety concerns with the ageing fleet. While the president received the Airbus A330, no similar replacement was announced for the vice president’s aircraft, which has received substantial maintenance allocations under Tinubu.

At the time of filing this report, the Presidency had not responded to inquiries about the specific nature of the engine work carried out on the aircraft.

The budget documents also indicate ongoing capital projects for PAF infrastructure, including N714.8m for the construction of a hangar for the Presidential Air Fleet in 2025, which fell to N500.36m in 2026.

The PAF’s total budget allocation declined from N17.32bn in 2025 to N14.70bn in 2026, mainly driven by decreased capital expenditure.

punch.ng

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Belgian parliament to legislate to allow police to enter homes to facilitate undocumented migrant removals

Published

16 hours ago

October 9, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

Belgian police will soon be able, in conjunction with the Immigration Office (DVZ), to enter the homes of undocumented migrants who pose a threat to public order or national security. This is set out in a bill drafted by the Belgian Asylum and Migration Minister, Anneleen Van Bossuyt (Flemish nationalist N-VA), and Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden (Flemish Christian democrat CD&V), which has now been approved by the House Home Affairs Committee. The proposal still needs to be OKed during a plenary session of the lower house of the Belgian parliament.

Home searches like these are controversial. The aim is to make it easier to deport people residing here illegally and who persistently refuse to cooperate with efforts to facilitate their return.

The new law will make this possible. Following entry into the home, the police may place the person in question – that is, the individual who poses a threat to public order or national security – under administrative detention. However, prior authorisation from an investigating judge is required to enter the home.

Speaking to press agency Belga, Minister Van Bossuyt referred to this as “an historic breakthrough” and had previously said that this “is the final piece in a firm but humane return policy”.

“This is not a witch-hunt against people who have international protection or are simply in the country illegally (..) The law sets out clear conditions, and a search of a home can only take place with the authorisation of an investigating judge.”

(Overly) broad definitions

The bill did, however, attract a great deal of comment and was extensively discussed in parliament.

The opposition, the federal police, investigating judges and lawyers alike were highly critical. They believe that the exact meaning of ‘a threat to public order or national security’ has not been defined clearly enough.

“It will be up to the investigating judge to determine whether someone poses a threat to public order or national security,” says Van Bossuyt. “The judge will independently assess whether that person poses such a threat. That is a crucial test.”

Minister Van Bossuyt finds the debate strange: “The concepts of public order and national security feature in many parts of our legislation. Nowhere is a specific list provided of what they entail.” What is more, according to Van Bossuyt, the Council of State, which vets Belgian draft legislation, has explicitly stated that it is not desirable to define these concepts, as they may evolve over time.

“When the Justice Minister drafts new legislation, she isn’t asked how judges should apply that law, is she?” Van Bossuyt notes.

Van Bossuyt has also tabled an amendment to her own bill: “We have given investigating judges more time to reach a decision, from 5 days to 7.”

She emphasises that their role is not merely reduced to that of a ‘rubber-stamp judge’: “The investigating judge will absolutely not be a rubber-stamp judge, precisely because they play such a crucial role in assessing whether someone poses a threat or not. They will have access to the full case file.”

What about minors?

Another point of criticism concerns the rights of minors. According to critics, these are not sufficiently safeguarded. Government party Les Engagés (Francophone centrist) was only prepared to vote for the bill if greater protection for minors was provided.

“When authorising a search of a home, the investigating judge must determine all the conditions under which that search may take place,” explains Van Bossuyt. “If, for example, children are present, the investigating judge can stipulate that the search must take place during school hours. In that case, the likelihood of children being present is very low.”

The investigating judge may also, for example, require a psychologist to be present during the search, says Van Bossuyt. “So, the possible presence of minors has certainly been taken into account.”

The minister also points to the responsibility of the person who poses a threat to public order or national security: “It is that person who is making life difficult for those children,” says the minister.

Desperately needed, according to Van Bossuyt

Government party, Les Engagés, did not secure all the amendments it had requested, so MP Xavier Dubois boycotted the second reading. However, his group leader, Aurore Tourneur, did defend the amendments in the House Home Affairs Committee.

This enabled the majority to approve the bill after all, with the support of the Flemish liberal opposition party Anders. Although they, too, called for further amendments.

The left-wing opposition parties voted against. The far-right Vlaams Belang abstained. According to MP Francesca Van Belleghem, the law has been “so watered down by coalition negotiations that it will have virtually no effect in practice”.

‘This was a sensitive bill for several government parties: that’s no secret. In practice, there was an absolute need for this,’ concludes Van Bossuyt.

The bill must now be put to a vote during a plenary session, where the law can be definitively approved.

Speaking to Belga, the minister warned local authorities that have already announced they will not permit home visits, such as Leuven. “Be fully aware of what that choice means. If you refuse to implement this law and things go wrong, do not point the finger at the federal government afterwards. Because then you will be jeopardising the safety of your own residents” she said.

Source: VRT.BE

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Trump rules out new Iran attack before US midterm elections

Published

19 hours ago

October 9, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

President Donald Trump ruled out Thursday attacking Iran before the US midterms on November 3, saying Washington was holding “productive discussions” with Tehran.

Trump’s announcement on his Truth Social platform followed a surge in oil prices driven by media reports suggesting potential new US strikes prior to the elections.

“I want to make it clear to everybody that, while Iran is in very bad condition, both economically and militarily, and while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect…we will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections,” he wrote.

“We are having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he added.

The Atlantic magazine reported on Wednesday that the White House had asked the Pentagon to develop options to strike Iranian targets that could be used before the midterms.

The New York Times said Thursday the plans were being developed despite Trump’s “ambivalence.”

The surge in crude oil prices has also been fueled by persistent tensions in the Strait of Hormuz — a strategic chokepoint for the global oil trade — as well as hostilities between Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia.

Polls suggest American voters are strongly dissatisfied with fuel prices, which have soared since US-Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28 triggered the conflict.

Brent North Sea crude, the international benchmark, rallied to as high as $105.88 a barrel on Thursday before retreating to $104.28.

– Putin vows to help –

Russian President Vladimir Putin promised Thursday to “do everything” to help end the Middle East war when he met Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian for talks ahead of a regional summit, Russian media reported.

“We are ready to do everything that is in our power to contribute to the settlement of this situation,” Putin said after arriving in Turkmenistan for a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) that starts Friday in the Caspian Sea resort of Avaza.

He added that Iran had made “real efforts to end the war,” according to Russian news agencies.

Russia and Iran have reinforced diplomatic and military links since Russia launched its offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, becoming increasingly reliant on each other.

Trump has repeatedly insisted in recent weeks that the United States has effectively won the Iran war, despite ongoing unrest and a recent security threat that forced the withdrawal of American bombers from a base in England.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted Tehran was “engaged in dialogue, but every time we negotiate with the United States, they attack again”, Iranian state media quoted him as saying at the talks with Putin.

Pezeshkian said the Islamic republic wanted to see a “final framework” to end the war.

But he accused the United States of “trying to impose its policies and views on all countries”.

“If the United States insists on pursuing a unilateral approach, a resolution will not be possible,” he said, according to state media.

– Approaching election –

The midterm elections will shape the final two years of Trump’s presidential term as his Republican Party risks losing its current grip on Congress.

Although Trump is not on the ballot, he is holding numerous rallies in an attempt to limit the damage or even turn the political tide.

Trump has warned he faces a possible third impeachment if Democrats retake the House of Representatives, and the White House is preparing for a slew of investigations into corruption and abuse of power.

The US president also sought to calm a furor on Thursday over his comments at a rally earlier this week that Iran could “take out” the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego.

The 80-year-old blamed the “fake and artificial news” for misinterpreting the remarks, which Democrats pounced on.

“In actuality, what I was talking about was that a temporary increase in the price of Gasoline is a small price to pay for Iran not having a Nuclear Weapon and, if you want to see a big price, can you imagine what it would be like if they bombed San Diego and/or Los Angeles?” Trump said on Truth Social.

AFP

Source: punchng.com

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INEC displays voter register, begins PVC distribution ahead of 2027 elections

Published

20 hours ago

October 9, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The Independent National Electoral Commission has commenced the display of the preliminary register of voters and distribution of Permanent Voter Cards across states as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.

The seven-day exercise, which begins on Friday and runs through October 15, will allow registered voters to verify their details, raise claims and objections, and collect PVCs from the first phase of the Continuous Voter Registration conducted between August and December 2025.

In Plateau and Sokoto states, the respective Resident Electoral Commissioners announced that the exercise would take place at Registration Area centres, with PVC collection continuing at INEC offices at the local government level after the display period.

In a statement by the Plateau REC, Prof. Sam Egwu, made available to journalists in Jos on Thursday, the commission said the exercise was pursuant to Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which mandates it to display the voter register not less than 90 days before the general elections.

He said, “The Independent National Electoral Commission, Plateau State, wishes to inform the good people of Plateau State that the commission will commence display of the Preliminary Register of Voters, attend to the hearing of claims and objections as well as collection of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) simultaneously in all the 207 Registration Areas in the state, from the 9th to 15th of October 2026 (7 days and weekends inclusive). Time is 9 am -3 pm daily.”

The statement asked all registered voters to take advantage of the opportunity to check their details.

“All registered voters are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to carefully check information they provided, such as their names, photographs, date of birth, polling units and other relevant registration details to make necessary claims and objections within this stipulated period as an accurate voter register is important for free and credible elections,” the REC said.

He further disclosed that PVCs from the first phase of the CVR exercise conducted from August 18, 2025 to December 10, 2025, would be available for collection during the exercise.

In Sokoto, the REC, Umar Garba, while briefing journalists on the commission’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, said the exercise was part of INEC’s activities ahead of the 2027 elections.

Garba, who was at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Press Centre, said the commission was committed to ensuring that eligible voters were given the opportunity to verify their registration details and collect their PVCs.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission will commence the display of the preliminary register of voters for claims and objections, as well as the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards from the 9th to the 15th of October 2026,” Garba said.

He said PVCs relating to lost or damaged cards, transfers, updates and registrations conducted during the second and third phases of the CVR were not yet ready for collection.

Garba said the commission would announce when the affected PVCs became available.

He added that after the exercise at the Registration Area level ended on October 15, distribution would continue at INEC offices in the 23 local government areas of the state.

“This will enable eligible voters who could not collect their cards at the Registration Area level to do so,” he said.

On security, Garba said INEC had continued to take the advice of security agencies into consideration throughout the voter registration process.

“Throughout the registration of voters held recently, the commission took the advice of security agencies very seriously. This contributed to a safe process without any casualties,” he said.

He assured eligible voters that INEC would work to ensure that PVCs were distributed across the state.

On internally displaced persons, Garba said the commission was engaging security agencies to establish the number of IDPs in Sokoto and determine how they could participate in the 2027 elections.

“The commission is always talking with security agencies to ascertain the number of IDPs in the state. We are working to ensure that they vote once they are in official and recognised camps,” he said.

The REC also said INEC would release the total number of registered voters in Sokoto State at the appropriate time.

Source: punchng.com

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