President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has allegedly spent N150 billion to buy a luxury Airbus A330 aircraft for presidential use.
Recall that recently the House of Representatives’ Committee on National Security and Intelligence recommended procuring new aircraft for the President and Vice President Kashim Shettima due to high maintenance costs and operational issues with the current fleet.
In particular, it recommended that a new aircraft be acquired for the president that would reflect the country’s prominent position in West Africa, Africa, and globally. Additionally, it proposed obtaining a new aircraft similar to the US Vice President’s Air Force Two jet.
In a report following an investigative hearing on May 20 into the state of the PAF, the committee highlighted that several aircraft in the presidential fleet are unserviceable and ageing, leading to increased downtime and operational expenses. The president’s 19-year-old B737-700(BBJ) is in annual maintenance, but the vice president’s 13-year-old Gulfstream Aerospace G550 is in good condition, Premium Times reported.
Apart from those two jets, the presidential fixed-wing fleet also includes a Gulfstream G500, two Falcon 7Xs, a Hawker 4000, and a Challenger 605. Three of the aircraft are reportedly unserviceable. In addition, the PAF’s rotor-wing fleet includes two Agusta 139s (both unusable) and two Agusta 101s, all operated by the Nigerian Air Force (NGR, Lagos) but overseen by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
In April, a government source informed The Nation newspaper that the president had approved the sale of three jets but did not disclose which.
Following this, Premium Times in a report said the government had offered around USD100 million for A330 from an unnamed German bank, valued at USD600 million due to its VIP configuration.
According to Premium Times, the aircraft was repossessed from an unidentified sheikh who had defaulted on a bank loan. Florida-based L & L International LLC and AMAC Aerospace Switzerland AG are reportedly brokering the deal. The Swiss firm has a longstanding aircraft maintenance contract with Nigeria’s Presidential Air Fleet (PAF).
The proposal was widely rejected by some Nigerians who claimed it was insensitive of the government to purchase a new presidential jet when the citizens face severe economic hardship.
Despite the outrage against the proposal for the new presidential jet, a Sahara Reporters report citing Empowered Newswire, said that the aircraft is currently in France and has been spotted at an advanced stage of preparation.
It said the plane has been assigned a tail registration that features the seal of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It was reportedly ready for delivery.
The aircraft in question is an ACJ330-200, VP-CAC (msn 1053), registered as 5N-FGA.
It features a bedroom with an en-suite bathroom at the front, followed by an office and a conference and dining room. It also has an airline-style first-class and economy seating at the rear.
It said ch-aviation fleets data shows the 14.86-year-old jet is currently operated by AMAC Corporate Jet (AMK, Zurich) and was being in maintenance in Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg, CH. It was formerly operated by Saudi Arabia’s Mid East Jet (Jeddah International).
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