Why I Stopped Flying My Private Jet – Senator Orji Kalu

Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, representing Abia North, announced he will no longer be flying his private jet, citing the ongoing salary crisis in Nigeria as his primary reason. The senator made this revelation in a video posted to his Instagram and Facebook accounts on Friday, September 20.

Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, shared that he had stopped using his private jet as of August 2 and intends to continue doing so until the federal government addresses the disparity in workers’ salaries across Nigeria and West Africa. “Honestly, I have stopped using my private jet since 2 August. And I want to maintain that until we are able to sort out the differentials on the workers in Nigeria and in West Africa – their salaries,” he said in the video.

This decision comes in the wake of Nigeria’s worsening economic conditions following President Bola Tinubu’s removal of petrol subsidies, a policy introduced in May 2023. The removal has caused fuel prices to surge by over 500%, significantly increasing transportation costs and contributing to a national inflation crisis.

As a result of these economic challenges, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) initiated protests and eventually declared an indefinite strike to push for improved worker welfare. In response, the federal government convened a committee to review the country’s minimum wage, which had previously been set at ₦30,000. Following protracted negotiations, President Tinubu and labor leaders agreed in July to raise the minimum wage to ₦70,000, which was subsequently signed into law.

However, despite the new legislation, workers are yet to receive the promised wage adjustments as the committee responsible for determining the consequential adjustments has not submitted its report. Several states, including Akwa Ibom and Delta, are awaiting further directives from the federal government before implementing the new salary structure.

Amid this ongoing uncertainty, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) recently hiked petrol prices again, pushing costs to between ₦950 and ₦1,019 per liter, further straining the public.

Sympathetic to the plight of Nigerian workers, Kalu emphasized his decision to forgo private air travel until the salary issues are resolved. “For now, I have grounded the private jet to do some other business for oil companies, and I want to maintain it that way. Don’t ask me again. There are commercial planes that are on schedule, and I will use them to the glory of God,” the senator remarked in his video.