Former presidential spokesperson Ima Niboro has revealed that the acquisition of the contentious presidential yacht in Nigeria has a long history within the Nigerian Navy.
Niboro disclosed that past presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, were approached regarding the purchase of a presidential yacht, but their responses differed from that of the Bola Tinubu administration.
In a written statement, Niboro highlighted that President Jonathan declined the presidential yacht offered by the Navy and instead instructed them to utilize the funds for renovating their aging fleet.
“The issue first arose during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure. He rejected the proposal and reportedly directed the Navy to repurpose it as a special-purpose gunboat,” he stated.
“Under President Jonathan, the matter resurfaced, and the President rejected it, instructing the Navy to seek a reallocation of the N3.3 billion budget from the National Assembly for the fleet’s refurbishment.”
PulseNets has reported that President Tinubu and his administration have also distanced themselves from this acquisition. Nevertheless, the Navy has confirmed the receipt of the yacht.
“It’s time for the Navy to reconsider their pursuit of the presidential yacht, an issue that consistently emerges to create embarrassment for successive presidents,” Niboro emphasized.
“Yesterday it was President Jonathan, and I vividly recall the efforts made to disassociate the President from it 13 years ago. Today, the President’s media team is once again working diligently to distance the current President from it.
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“Somebody within the Navy needs to reevaluate the matter of presidential yachts, which no president desires, yet it keeps resurfacing to create discomfort for successive administrations,” he concluded.
