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The Gulf emirate of Qatar offered President Donald Trump’s Boeing 747 for use as an Air Force One on Wednesday, according to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Regarding using an aircraft donated by a foreign power to be used as the highly sensitive presidential plane, Qatar’s offer for the jet, which is valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, has raised serious constitutional and ethical concerns.

According to a statement from a Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, the Secretary of Defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal laws and regulations.

According to Parnell, who referred to the US Air Force, “The Department of Defense will work to make sure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the President of the United States.”

In a section known as the Emoluments Clause, the US Constitution forbids government officials from accepting gifts from “any King, Prince, or foreign State.”

Read more about Trump’s appointment of the leader and the $175 billion design of the Golden Dome defense shield.

Trump, however, has said it would be “stupid” for the US government to not accept the plane, saying there are no moral concerns with accepting it.

When asked if the oil-rich Gulf state would expect anything in exchange, the 78-year-old billionaire responded, “It’s a great gesture.”

That kind of an offer would never be turned down by me,” I said. I mean, I could be a moron and say, “No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.”

Trump’s use of the aircraft would be prohibited by the leader of the Democratic minority in the US Senate, which was introduced earlier this week.

The Pentagon would be unable to use taxpayer funds to retrofit any aircraft that had previously been owned by a foreign government for use as the presidential plane under Chuck Schumer’s Presidential Airlift Security Act.

Schumer stated in a statement that “Donald Trump has demonstrated time and time again that he will sell out the American people and the presidency if it means putting money into his own pockets.”

There are no guarantees that this plane will be secure, despite the fact that it would require billions of taxpayer dollars to attempt to retrofit and secure it.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Trump supporter, is not required to introduce the bill to the floor of the upper chamber despite the fact that several Republicans have expressed concerns about the proposed gift.

However, Schumer intends to compel a vote by including it as a provisional amendment to spending bills that Republicans will need to pass later in the year.

According to President Bola Tinubu, the growing population of Nigeria requires industrial solutions that will lead to “demographic dividends”.

Tinubu, who made this statement on Wednesday at the Taraba International Investment Summit, mentioned Taravest in the state capital of Jalingo.

The country cannot live off raw products and unprocessed minerals, according to the President, who was accompanied by Vice President Kashim Shettima. Instead, it requires factories that add value, clusters that encourage innovation, and industrial parks that create impact.

We are aware that the growing population calls for an industrial solution. But visionaries are essential above all. We need people who can see beyond the narrow confines of trade and into the worlds of industry.

Aliko Dangote is a must-have. Tony Elumelu is a must-have. Africa is currently facing a global growth trajectory, and Nigeria will either reverse or reverse it, he added.

INCLUDE   Shettima, the greatest black man in the past 300 years, is Dangote.

According to Tinubu, the projected rise would result in a demographic disaster if not well-harnessed, making Nigeria the third-most populous nation on earth by 2050.

440 million people will be in our country by 2050. And how will you handle the anticipated population growth? We have two options: turning the anticipated bulge into demographic dividends, or a demographic disaster that will enslave everyone.

I think we have the resources, the capacity, and the men to turn our young people into growth engines. Europe as a whole is aging. Asian tigers are getting older as well; He claimed that China is getting older.

He claimed that given the global talent gap, Nigeria could use its young, resilient population.

The President stated that during the former administration of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the oil industry generated $35 billion in 2011. India generated $ 120 billion in outsourcing in the last year. The opportunities are endless, then.

In spite of the intonation, I believe the majority of the Western audiences here could understand what I was talking about because there are more English speakers in Nigeria than India.

The Indian variety is superior to the Nigerian English, with all due respect. Is this my fault? And we benefit from being closer to Europe.

Let us unite into one, because poverty knows no ethnicity, no religion, or no tribe, regardless of our political affiliations, religious beliefs, tribal or sectional backgrounds. Let’s band as a people. ”

Why is an investment summit important?

More than its breathtaking mountains and other attractions, he noted that the summit was significant because Taraba contributes strategically to the country’s shared prosperity.

He asserted that the other’s parts are a gift from one another. Each one complements the other in such a way that often the sufficiency of one region is replaced by the sufficiency of the other.

No region of this country can thrive in isolation, so we must first realize that this is where we must be as a nation. We are here because of this; that’s why this summit is significant. ”

INCLUDE   Foreigners won’t invest in Nigeria – Dangote without local investors.

Tinubu claimed that the world was experiencing a new wave of the industrial revolution, which would require that Nigeria’s productivity grow to reflect the size of its population.

It requires that farmers in our area switch to tractors and harvesters instead of horses and cutlasses. It requires that our energy suppliers move beyond domestic and household energy to energizing large-scale industries.

Our mining industry must also change in line with international standards and requirements. In this way do we compete with the rest of the world. He continued, “This is how we maintain our relevance.”

However, he claimed that the Federal Government’s reforms were deliberate steps in creating an environment where business thrives, while investors’ competence is not a guarantee but rather a gamble.

The President continued, “We seek collaborators and partners in progress.” Following this gathering, the government will support you in every way possible. We don’t observe things from a distance. We are here to support you and offer the institutional support needed to realize your goals. ”

Vice President Kashim Shettima has paid tribute to Africa’s richest man and Founder of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, describing him as the “greatest black man in the past 300 years”.

Shettima stated this while speaking at the Taraba International Investment Summit, tagged ‘ Taravest, ‘ in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, on Wednesday.

Dangote was on Tuesday named on TIME Magazine’s inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy list, recognising the world’s most influential individuals shaping the future of charitable giving.

He is the only Nigerian featured on the prestigious 2025 list, which honours 100 philanthropists from 28 countries under four categories—Titans, Leaders, Trailblazers, and Innovators.

The Vice President, said, “I want to celebrate the greatest black man in the last 300 years, who single-handedly established the largest single train refinery in the world with the capacity to refine 650, 000 barrels of oil per day, 67 percent of Nigeria’s refining capacity, occupying 2, 635 hectares, larger that Victoria Island, employing 135, 000 Nigerians and training 900 engineers abroad”.

READ ALSO: &nbsp, Dangote Named On TIME’s 100 Global Philantrophy List

Shettima also commended the businessman for demonstrating patriotism by establishing the refinery.

“He started this project in 2007, 2008. If he had invested the $19 billion that it took him to set up the Dangote Refinery in Microsoft, in Amazon, in Google, he is going to be worth $120 billion now.

” But he decided to invest in his own country. Alhaji Aliko Dangote, we are mightily proud of you, “he added. &nbsp,

Dangote earned a spot among the 23 global figures recognised as Titans as he joined the ranks of Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda Gates.

TIME Honour

TIME commended him for his business success and robust philanthropic impact.

It said”, Business magnate Aliko Dangote, founder, president, and CEO of the Dangote Group, built a net worth of $23.9 billion through cement, agriculture, and oil refining operations in Nigeria.

“His Aliko Dangote Foundation, which he endowed with $1.25 billion in 2014, aims to give back to the continent that facilitated his success, spending an average of $35 million a year on programmes across Africa”.

Speaking on his foundation’s focus, Dangote said, “Health, education, economic empowerment, disaster relief, and food—these are the five main things that any African nation needs.

” We need to create the next generation of African leaders. Investing in nutrition, health, education, and economic empowerment is our contribution to setting Africans up for success. “