NewStats: 3,262,634 , 8,177,742 topics. Date: Tuesday, 03 June 2025 at 06:20 AM 1f56f

Nine serving governors have so far squandered millions of naira to charter private jets to move around the country to advance their presidential ambitions, Daily Trust analysis revealed.

Ahead of the presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), presidential aspirants including the nine serving governors have been travelling across the 36 states and FCT to woo delegates.

Daily Trust reports that there are 38 presidential aspirants in both APC and PDP including the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, among others.

While all the aspirants have been travelling across the country in chartered aircraft, the spending of the nine serving governors has attracted public attention and scrutiny.

The governors, who are aspiring for the presidency, include Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom), Ben Ayade (Cross River), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa) and Yahaya Bello (Kogi).

Of the nine governors, only Bala Mohammed is serving his first term, the rest are completing their second term in office.
Reports revealed that government activities are being relegated to the background in some of the states as the governors are preoccupied in their presidential campaigns with allegations that they are using state resources.

Cost of hiring jets

At the moment, a private jet charter costs between $7,000 (over N4m at 580/$) to $10,000 (N5.8m) per hour depending on the size of the plane.

An operator says it could be higher when one requests for a bigger luxury jet, which could carry up to 11 engers like Challenger or Beechcraft Hawker with up to 13 enger capacity.

In addition, a charter Embraer ERJ 145 for instance, with a 50-enger capacity, could even cost more depending on the number of waiting hours at the destination airport.

Also, it was gathered that in line with the industry requirement, the private jet operators charge 3,000 dollars per hour, depending on the airline after landing at the airport.

“If it is a two-leg trip – to and fro, you will pay 3,000 dollars per hour as landing and parking charges. It would start reading after the first three hours. The charges vary from airlines,” an aviation expert said.

Boom in the industry

A private jet operator who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said that there is a boost in demand for private jets.
Ibrahim Aliyu, a security expert said most of the governors could not travel by road to any of the states in the country because of insecurity hence their resort to traveling by air.
“It will be suicidal for the politically-exposed persons to embark on journeys by road and so, they rather use the privileges at their disposal and criss-cross Nigeria by air.
“As you can see, some of the aspirants handling non-executive positions had to drop their ambitions when President Buhari asked them to resign. The reason is simple- they would no longer have access to unlimited resources to foot the bills of rigorous campaigns,” he said.

Daily Trust learnt that there has been a marginal increase in the cost of aircraft charter following inflation and the high cost of operation, hence additional spending by those who prefer air travel. One of the factors that have driven the increase in the cost of charters is aviation fuel, which has virtually quadrupled.
Despite this, that segment of the aviation business continues to boom even as more airlines the business recently.
It would be recalled that a start-up airline, Xejet Aviation, recently commenced operation to provide only business class engers.
Aviation analyst, Group Capt. John Ojikutu in a chat with our correspondent said though private charter services are unscheduled flights, they contribute to the aeronautical revenue of the airport authorities.
“Theirs are unscheduled flights but they pay charges on navigational and air traffic services, landing and parking for day and night at different charges and handling charges. All these are additional revenue earnings for the various aviation services.
“Yes, their flights can increase the unscheduled air traffic movements by about 50 per cent or more and therefore the revenues of the service providers,” he said.

Wike, Tambuwal compete for trips
Analysis of reported trips of the governors as at yesterday showed that Governor Wike has visited 20 states including Kaduna, Edo, Kogi, Lagos, Katsina, Kano, Ekiti, Ondo and Cross River all by air using private jets.
It is however not clear whether he is chattering the planes or using those belonging to Rivers State.

“There is no difference between using a chartered aircraft or the one belonging to the state,” said Sadiq Sabo, a political pundit.

“The point is that it is wrong to use state resources in of equipment or otherwise to facilitate personal endeavours,” he said. The Rivers State governor who is eyeing the presidential ticket of the PDP has also visited Ebonyi, Adamawa, Plateau, Anambra, Niger, Imo, Ogun, Oyo, Bayelsa, Benue and Kebbi states using private jets.

Like his Rivers State counterpart, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State has visited 20 states.

Tambuwal, who is also eyeing the PDP presidential ticket has been to Taraba, Borno, Yobe, Kogi, Niger, Gombe, Kaduna and Zamfara States.

The Sokoto governor has also flown to Plateau, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Imo, Nasarawa, Kebbi, Kogi, FCT, Ogun and Osun States.

Fayemi’s 16 trips gulp millions

On his part, the Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has visited 16 states in the course of his presidential campaigns. Fayemi, who chairs the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), wants to pick the presidential ticket of the APC.
The states visited by Fayemi are; Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, Kano, Nasarawa, Benue, Kebbi, Sokoto, Rivers, Anambra, Ogun, Osun and Ondo.

Bala Mohammed’s visit to 12 states

Coming next to Fayemi, is the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed. Unlike Fayemi, Mohammed is eyeing the ticket of the PDP. Despite the fact that he is a first term governor, he is deeply engrossed in his presidential ambition.
States visited by the Bauchi governor, who is said to have also picked the governorship forms of the PDP include; FCT, Anambra, Enugu, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Oyo, Kaduna, Niger, Jigawa, Taraba and Katsina.

Udom was in six states

So far, the Akwa Ibom Governor, Emmanuel Udom, has visited six states including Plateau, Katsina, Edo, Oyo, Cross River and Gombe. He is one of the 15 contenders cleared for the PDP presidential primaries.

No media tally on Ayade, Badaru, Bello, Umahi’s trips
Daily Trust could not establish the number of trips embarked upon by the Cross River, Jigawa, Kogi and Ebonyi States governors.

https://dailytrust.com/wike-fayemi-tambuwal-6-other-govs-squander-millions-on-private-jets

Who will tackle insecurity...........Peter Obi
Who will stop kidnapping...........Peter Obi
Who will bring peace and Harmony.........Peter Obi
Who will bring back our good economy....Peter Obi
Vote His Excellency Peter Obi for President.

Osinbajo, tinubu
See how they are wasting the future of yaribanzaz

And the failure of a governor called Fayemi is calling others money bag. You bought forms 100m and fly private jets, are you not a money bag? Mtcheeew

Those are taxpayers money.

Them don see una finish...even that hypocrite using the pastor tag to operate.

And that one was saying president is not moneybag,

Nothing new

Peter Obi for presidency

The wastage is out of this world

Dem go recover am back once they achieve what they want. Useless set of pples

Nine serving governors have so far squandered millions of naira to charter private jets to move around the country to advance their presidential ambition

while the citizens they govern lack the basic amenities of life.
God will Judge them all

Imagine the waste

Anybody that's business inclined and want to hit Millions from now till next year should invest in two things
AVIATION FUEL
FOREX

THANK ME LATER

C ool

dedonfranco:
Who will tackle insecurity...........Peter Obi
Who will stop kidnapping...........Peter Obi
Who will bring peace and Harmony.........Peter Obi
Who will bring back our good economy....Peter Obi
Vote His Excellency Peter Obi for President.

Peter obi will rather trek through Sambisa forest than use money to hire private jet.

Who can stop them from spending state money? The problem of Nigeria constitution is that , the governor can do anything he wishes no body can stop him, as long as dis constitution is been in to practices we're finished. God save us.

Only Peter obi can make Nigeria work again, others are criminals

famology:
And the failure of a governor called Fayemi is calling others money bag. You bought forms 100m and fly private jets, are you not a money bag? Mtcheeew

So another Fayemi name you see for the list of 9 governors.
And you are one of the so-called leaders of tomorrow.
See selective hypocritical condemnation.
Continue your hypocrisy, e go touch all of una one by one.

Public funds

They are all hypocrites

After spending all this money , they would expect return of investment

Where would they go to?

Looting of the treasury

The only way we can make governance strictly credible is when governance is not made lucrative

That is why we need prudent person to lead and manage this country after this disaster we ve as president, and the only person that fit into this is Peter obi, the only major contender that had tour all the states in the federation excluding Adamawa on commercial flight

But private jets cost millions nah

No be fayemi just talk finish say POLITICS IS NOT FOR MONEYBAGS

Na these kind people want be president

Nigerians will still make the same mistake of voting In the wrong person.

famology:
And the failure of a governor called Fayemi is calling others money bag. You bought forms 100m and fly private jets, are you not a money bag? Mtcheeew

Don't mind them,only Tinubu can be money bags


By the way,Peter Obi is 60,osinbajo is 60plus,why are they portraying them as youth??

All of th are grandpas

Pdp Delegates should do the needful else, our children will never forget how de destroyed the best option for Nigeria.