The Deputy spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Hon. Philip Agbese has explained why the House committee on national security and intelligence proposed that two new private jets be purchased for the use of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In an interview on AIT, Hon Agbese said it is the norm for lawmakers to make proposals to address some of the challenges they see when they go on oversight functions. He hinted that when the House committee on national security and intelligence went on oversight and discovered that the aircraft carrying the president around was not fit, it was only normal for them to make proposals for the purchase of new aircrafts.
When asked: How can such a proposal be coming from the House of Representatives. Should it not be coming from an informed opinion of the executive for the consideration of the national assembly?
He said: “You know one of our roles as a parliament is oversight functions. Now when we go on oversight, some of the things we see are alarming. You go to some government institutions, you get to meet a place where there are no desks, and so how do people work under this condition. You go to some universities, you find out that the classrooms are bad. So as a parliament what do you do? You return back and write your report and propose that something positive should be done.
When you travel on some of these roads, for instance, if you are a member of the committee on works, and you go on your oversight and you see the quality of the roads being done, you summon the minister and say do this.
So if the committee on national security of the House of Representatives carryout their oversight functions and they discovered that we have an aircraft that is not fit to carry Mr President around. What do you expect them to do? I think the best recommendation if you were in their shoes would be that either the aircraft is refurbished or a new aircraft is procured.”
https://www.youtube.com/live/lhCq01YKAxE?si=Edrk6pfVT1bZKnTI
(From 17:30)