Kehinde Fajobi
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga clarified that President Bola Tinubu did not acquire a new official jet, as many assume, but rather a refurbished one in better condition.
“It’s not President Tinubu’s plane; it belongs to the people of Nigeria, it is our property,” Onanuga said on Channels Television’s Inside Sources with Laolu Akande.
Onanuga explained that some jets in the presidential fleet, such as a 19-year-old Boeing B737-700 acquired under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, are in poor condition with high maintenance costs.
He said President Tinubu, instead of spending heavily on maintenance, obtained National Assembly approval to purchase a refurbished Airbus A330. This move, Onanuga said, will reduce maintenance expenses.
He also noted, “The president did not buy a new jet; what he has is a refurbished jet – it has been used by somebody else before he got it but it is a much newer model than the one President Buhari used.”
According to Onanuga, Tinubu won’t take the jet with him after his term, as it’s the property of Nigeria and will also serve future leaders.
Urging Nigerians to prioritise the president’s safety, he remarked, “I’m not sure anybody wishes our president to go and crash in the air. We want his safety so that he can hand over to whoever wants to take over from him.”
The poor state of Nigeria’s Presidential Air Fleet has raised concerns. In May, a faulty jet grounded Vice President Kashim Shettima from attending the US-Africa Business Summit.