The Nigerian government is planning to sell three outdated presidential aircraft to fund a new one, reducing excessive maintenance costs for unused planes.
The House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence recommended purchasing two new aircraft, but officials say the government cannot afford it. Instead, they will use sale proceeds to augment the cost of a new jet.
The sale will reduce the presidential air fleet from six aeroplanes and four helicopters to three.
Insiders reveal that half of the fleet is unserviceable or failing, necessitating the disposal of burdensome aircraft.
The jets slated for sale are a Boeing 737 BBJ, a Gulfstream, and a Falcon 7x.
“We can’t afford to buy two aircraft at once, even though we’re selling others. We’ll find one whose cost we can augment with sale proceeds,” a government insider said.
JetHQ, a US-based airline marketer, has been appointed to broker the sale. Proceeds will go towards procuring a new jet, with offers already received but not yet sold.
“We’ve received two offers for the BBJ and one for the Falcon X, but the NSA insisted we press for a better deal,” a PAF official said.
This was confirmed by Zakari Mijinyawa, NSA spokesman. The President’s BBJ aircraft has been undergoing maintenance since March, forcing the President and Vice President to use commercial and chartered planes for travel.”
“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.”
“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.”
