Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said contrary to popular opinion, his principal, President Bola Tinubu, did not acquire a new official jet but a refurbished one.
Onanuga was a guest on the Sunday edition of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-economic programme aired on Channels Television.
He said some jets in the presidential fleet like a 19-year-old Boeing B737-700 purchased under ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo are all in bad condition, and their maintenance costs were outrageous. Hence, instead of spending a bogus amount of money on aircraft maintenance, the President sought the approval of the National Assembly for a refurbished jet still in good condition.
Onanuga said the refurbished Airbus A330 would save Nigeria high maintenance costs in servicing the old aircraft.
Onanuga urged Nigerians to prioritise the President’s safety, noting that the newly acquired plane is Nigeria’s property, not Tinubu’s.
The presidential spokesman said Tinubu won’t take the just-acquired jet with him when he leaves office. Onanuga said the jet would also benefit Tinubu’s successor.
While the Presidency has continued to defend Tinubu’s action to purchase the refurbished Airbus A330, the move has been criticised by many Nigerians and some of his contenders in the 2023 election, who felt the President was unfeeling to the plight of poor Nigerians grappling under the weight of unprecedented food inflation, and energy prices which have quadrupled in the last one year.
The health state of the Presidential Air Fleet has been a source of concern of late. In May, a faulty presidential jet stopped Vice President Kashim Shettima from attending the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa.
Last December, a presidential aircraft, Falcon 900B, was put up for sale, with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) asking interested persons to submit their bids for the purchase of the aircraft.
