Tinubu’s Govt Puts 3 Presidential Aircraft Up For Sale, Details Emerge
- Three ageing presidential jets belonging to the federal government of Nigeria have been put for sale
- President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was said to have ordered the sales due to the rising cost of maintenance
- The presidential jets are Boeing 737 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), the president’s designated aircraft, one Gulfstream and a Falcon 7x
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 5 years of experience covering metro and government policy
FCT, Abuja - President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led federal government has put three ageing presidential jets on sale.
It is gathered that the sale will cut excessive spending on the maintenance of fleets of presidential jets.
Source: Twitter
The sale would cut the number of jets in the presidential air fleet by half as it currently consists of six airplanes and four helicopters.
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The fleets include Boeing 737 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), a Gulfstream G550, a Gulfstream GV, two Falcon 7x and one Challenger CL605.
As reported by TheCable, an insider said half of the fleet comprises unserviceable or failing aircraft.
He said this necessitated the need to dispose of those considered to be of greater burden to the fleet.
Boeing 737 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), the president’s designated aircraft, one Gulfstream and a Falcon 7x have been pencilled down for sale.
A frontline US-based airline marketer, JetHQ, has reportedly been appointed as the broker for the sale of the three aircraft.
The company has been permitted to value the three aircraft and subsequently market them.
It was based on an exclusive marketing agreement that had been signed with the Nigerian government.
According to insiders, proceeds from the sale would go into procuring a new jet for the fleet, for which a search is ongoing.
A senior official said:
“We saw the report and recommendation by the lawmakers. But the truth of the matter is that we cannot afford to buy two aircraft at a go, even though we are selling off others. The approval now is to find one whose cost is not too much that we can augment with what we raise from this sale.”
An official of the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF), who spoke on condition of anonymity said:
“Yes, we have received two offers for the BBJ and one for the Falcon X. But the NSA insisted that we must press for a better deal instead of rushing to have a bad deal for the government.”
A spokesperson for the National Security Adviser (NSA) Zakari Mijinyawa, confirmed the ongoing disposal process.
President Tinubu was said to have ordered the sales due to the rising cost of maintenance, The Nation reports.
It was gathered that the Nigerian government might have spent over $5 million as maintenance fees in the past few months.
A top source, who spoke in confidence, said:
“The main reason is cutting down high maintenance costs.
“I think officers in PAF were particularly concerned about the frequency of maintenance and how much it costs the nation.
“The President decided to let off the aircraft that constitute the most burdensome.”
Nigerian Air Force puts up presidential aircraft for sale
In a similar development, Legit.ng reported that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) put its Falcon 900B aircraft up for sale in US dollars and inviting interested buyers to bid for it.
NAF disclosed that Tinubu government approved the sales of the Falcon 900B aircraft.
Nigerians have reacted to the plan to sell the NAF Falcon 900B aircraft in United States dollars and not naira
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Source: Legit.ng
