REVEALED: Nigeria puts three ageing presidential aircraft up for sale

The current fleet, maintained by the presidential air fleet
(PAF), an arm of the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), include
Boeing 737 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), a Gulfstream G550, a Gulfstream GV, two
Falcon 7x and one Challenger CL605.

Insiders, however, said at least half of the entire fleet is
made up of unserviceable or failing aircraft, necessitating the need to dispose
those considered to be of greater burden to the fleet.

The jets pencilled down for sale, TheCable reports, are a
Boeing 737 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), which is the president’s designated
aircraft, one Gulfstream and a Falcon 7x.

The federal government has appointed a frontline US-based
airline marketer, JetHQ, as the broker for the sale of the three aircraft.

An exclusive marketing agreement had been signed between the
Nigerian government and the company giving the firm permission to value the
three aircrafts and subsequently market them.

Insiders say proceeds from the sale would go into procuring
a new jet for the fleet, for which a search is ongoing.

 “We saw the report
and recommendation by the lawmakers. But the truth of the matter is that we can
not 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,” a senior official, who is familiar with the
management of the fleet, said.

The marketing firm has already submitted three bids from
buyers to the Office of the National Security Adviser for consideration.

“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,” an PAF official involved
with the process said on condition of anonymity.

Zakari Mijinyawa, a spokesman for the NSA, confirmed the
ongoing disposal process but gave no further details.

The debate about the condition of the presidential air fleet
has been on the front burner in recent times, with safety concerns raised about
the condition of the aircraft transporting Nigerian leaders.

The president’s BBJ aircraft has been away on maintenance
since March, making him fall back on other aircraft in the fleet.

However, in April, President Bola Tinubu resorted to a
commercial aircraft on his way to the World Economic Forum in Riyadh after the
aircraft he travelled with to Netherlands developed a fault.

Around the same time, Vice-President Kashim Shettima was
pictured arriving Ogun state in a chartered aircraft.

In early May, Shettima had to abort his trip to the United
States mid-air after the aircraft transporting him developed an engine fault.

For his latest trip to South Africa, Tinubu also had to make
use of a private airplane, a development some diplomatic experts said would
give bad optics for Nigeria in the global scene.

While federal lawmakers and a section of Nigerians endorse
purchasing new aircraft to address the concerns, others believe that it would
be insensitive at a time of economic hardship.

But lawmakers say the safety of all citizens, including that
of the president and other government officials, should be of utmost concern to
all Nigerians.