Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has strongly denied allegations linking him and members of his family to a controversial aviation training programme, describing the claims as “false, baseless and malicious.”
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In a statement issued on June 24, 2026, by his spokesperson, Ikechukwu Eze, the former President’s office refuted reports circulating on social media alleging that some of his relatives participated in, failed, and later benefited from preferential treatment under an aviation training programme that reportedly involved overseas pilot training.
The statement explained that the allegations emerged from an ongoing dispute between certain individuals and a private organisation over an alleged pilot training programme, a matter which the former President’s office said Dr. Jonathan neither knows about nor has any connection with.
According to the statement, a publication by one Kariyau Daukaru attempted to implicate relatives of the former President by alleging that they were among candidates who failed a pilot training examination but were nevertheless sent abroad for training through undue influence.
Rejecting the claims in their entirety, the former President’s office stated unequivocally that no member of Dr. Jonathan’s family applied for, participated in, failed, or benefited from the aviation training programme in question.
“For the avoidance of doubt, no relative of former President Goodluck Jonathan applied for the aviation training programme referred to in the publication. No relative participated in the examination associated with the programme, and none was sponsored, nominated, selected, trained or benefited from any aviation training in the United States under the programme being referenced,” the statement read.
The office further clarified that no member of the Jonathan family is currently undergoing pilot or aviation training in the United States or elsewhere under any arrangement connected to the programme.
It also stressed that Dr. Jonathan played no role whatsoever in the administration of the programme and did not influence any aspect of its processes in favour of any individual.
The former President’s office expressed concern over what it described as a deliberate attempt to sensationalise an ongoing dispute by invoking Dr. Jonathan’s name and public stature.
“The attempt to insert the name of Dr. Jonathan into a dispute involving other parties appears to be a deliberate effort to attract public attention by exploiting his name and public standing,” the statement noted.
While reiterating that the former President generally avoids commenting on private disagreements and matters before the courts, the office said it was compelled to respond because of the potential reputational damage arising from the allegations.
The statement urged parties involved in the dispute to seek redress through appropriate legal and institutional channels rather than making unsubstantiated claims against individuals unconnected to the matter.
It concluded by calling on those responsible for spreading the allegations to immediately correct the record and refrain from further publication of what it described as falsehoods concerning Dr. Jonathan and his family.
The clarification comes amid growing public discussions surrounding the disputed aviation training programme and serves as the former President’s formal response to allegations his office insists are entirely unfounded.
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