News

Reasons Federal Government want to Sell Three Aging Presidential Aircraft

Published by Tope Fakinlede on June 21st, 2024.

Reasons Federal Government want to Sell Three Aging Presidential Aircraft

The federal government has announced plans to sell three aging presidential aircraft to fund the purchase of a new one. This decision aims to cut down on excessive maintenance costs for currently unused planes.

According to News360 Nigeria, the move follows a recommendation from the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence to acquire two new aircraft for President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima. However, officials have stated that the government cannot afford two new jets and will instead use the proceeds from the sale to partially finance a single new jet.

Selling the three aircraft will halve the presidential air fleet from ten to five, which currently includes a Boeing 737 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), a Gulfstream G550, a Gulfstream GV, two Falcon 7x, and a Challenger CL605. Insiders reveal that many of these planes are unserviceable or in poor condition, making their sale necessary. The aircraft up for sale include a Boeing 737 BBJ, a Gulfstream, and a Falcon 7x.

“We acknowledge the lawmakers’ recommendation, but the reality is that we cannot afford two new aircraft simultaneously, even with the sales proceeds. The current approval is to find a reasonably priced jet that we can afford with the additional funds from these sales,” explained a government insider.

The federal government has appointed JetHQ, a US-based airline marketer, to manage the sale. While offers have been received for the BBJ and the Falcon X, the National Security Adviser (NSA) is pushing for better deals. “We’ve received offers for the BBJ and Falcon X, but the NSA insists on securing better terms to avoid a rushed, unfavorable deal for the government,” a Presidential Air Force (PAF) official stated.

Zakari Mijinyawa, a spokesman for the NSA, confirmed this. He also mentioned that the President’s BBJ aircraft has been undergoing maintenance since March. Due to recent issues with faulty aircraft, both the President and Vice President have resorted to using commercial and chartered planes. Most recently, President Tinubu used a private airplane for his trip to South Africa.