New presidential jet sparks debate over cost, transparency

As President Bola Tinubu flew aboard the newly-acquired $100m aircraft to France on Monday, he left a trail of debate over necessity, accountability and due process in government spending, writes STEPHEN ANGBULU

At about 03:30 pm local time on Monday, a France-bound Airbus A330 carrying Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu took off from Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The bird is the newest item on the Presidential Air Fleet, which consists of aircraft nearly as old as Nigeria’s return to democracy. The nearly 15-year-old plane is an ACJ330-200, VP-CAC (MSN 1053) registered as 5N-FGA. It features a bedroom, an office space, a conference room, and a dining room. At the rear, it has airline-style first-class and economy seating.

Its VIP configuration meant that it is “spacious and furnished with state-of-the-art avionics, customised interior and communications system,” Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said in a tweet on Monday night, describing the new acquisition which, he said, “saves Nigeria huge maintenance and fuel costs, running into millions of dollars yearly.”

For many Nigerians, however, Onanuga’s tweet only fueled their disapproval of flying a new jet only two weeks after young Nigerians protested the unbearable cost of living. For most citizens, the controversy stems not only from questions of fiscal prudence in an economically tight era but also from the opaque processes surrounding the procurement of the aircraft — specifically, the Airbus A330, which was detained before being released for its inaugural flight.

Amid questions about necessity and accountability, there are arguments about whether the government followed due process in obtaining legislative approval from the National Assembly and why it seeks to expand its fleet while failing to publicly announce steps to offload other aircraft previously put up for sale.

Bloated, unsustainable fleet?

The new Airbus A330 is just one of several aircraft currently on the Presidential Air Fleet, a fleet often considered unnecessarily large and extravagant for a nation still struggling with significant fiscal challenges. For one, Nigeria’s Presidential Air Fleet is regarded as one of the largest in Africa, if not the world, boasting an estimated 11 aircraft of various makes and models, including the president’s 19-year-old B737-700 (BBJ), 13-year-old Gulfstream Aerospace G550.

The BBJ was acquired during the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo at $43m. But the erstwhile symbol of Nigeria’s pride had become a money guzzler, proponents for a new jet argued, with its maintenance cost increasing with age.

Apart from these two, the presidential fixed-wing fleet also includes a Gulfstream G500, two Falcon 7Xs, a Hawker 4000, and a Challenger 605. Three of the seven fixed-wings are reportedly unserviceable. Meanwhile, the rotor-wing fleet includes two Agusta 139s and two Agusta 101s, all operated by the Nigerian Air Force but supervised by the Office of the National Security Adviser.

In April 2024, three jets were put up for sale, but there were no specifics on which ones. As part of cost-cutting measures, former President Muhammadu Buhari promised to reduce the number of aircraft in the PAF to the absolute necessary. However, efforts to sell one of the Dassault Falcon 7x and the Hawker 4000 in October 2016 stalled when a potential buyer reduced their initial offer from $24m to $11m.

The difficulty in selling off the planes also raised concerns about the actual value and utility of maintaining the fleet, especially in light of the rising cost of maintaining an ageing fleet. Between 2016 and 2020, the PAF operational costs rose by 190 per cent. The budgetary allocation for the fleet increased from N4.37bn in 2017 to N12.48bn in 2022, showing a 185.58 per cent rise in running costs. In 2022, maintenance expenses for each aircraft ranged from $1.5m to $4.5m annually. Nonetheless, the mammoth maintenance could not prevent some technical hiccups.

New presidential jet

In late April 2024, pictures emerged of President Tinubu boarding a “strange” aircraft from The Hague in the Netherlands to an economic summit in Saudi Arabia. Tinubu left Nigeria with the Gulfstream jet after his main Boeing luxury jet was taken for maintenance. However, the second aircraft developed technical hiccups in the Netherlands, forcing him and his team to use a commercially operated jet.

Back home, the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence asked the Federal Government to purchase two new aircraft for President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

In a report containing findings of its investigation into the status of the aircraft in the presidential air fleet, the committee said it was in the country’s best interest to procure the aircraft to avoid a situation that would trigger a national crisis.

Following a motion by the House Committee Chairman on National Security and Intelligence, Satomi Ahmed, in May 2024, the House of Representatives approved a comprehensive investigation into the fleet’s aircraft to determine their airworthiness and technical status.

However, the suggestion met fierce resistance on the floor of the House from some lawmakers who suggested that the president fly commercial. The Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Shehu Umar, was said to have supported the recommendation of the Reps committee. Despite these arguments, the Senate had not approved the move yet.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, had refuted claims that the Red Chamber approved the purchase of the presidential jet, stating that the lawmakers would approve the request if it ever reached them.

Akpabio said, “We care about the President and the Nigerian people. We will approve things that will benefit the Nigerian people. We will approve things that would improve the living standard of the people. At the same time, we will also take cognisance of the duties of the President. If his vehicle is bad, we will repair the vehicle. If his plane is bad, we will approve money to repair the plane. So, that is not an issue. There is nothing before us. I don’t think you should worry about it.”

In mid-July, an online news platform reported spotting a new aircraft bearing the seal of the Nigerian President on its tail in France. The aircraft was said to be in an advanced preparation stage for delivery. The plane had been flown from Germany to an airport in Saint Louis, France.

Premium Times reported that a German bank repossessed the aircraft from an unidentified Sheikh who had defaulted on a loan. Florida-based L & L International LLC and AMAC Aerospace Switzerland AG, a firm with an enduring aircraft maintenance contract with Nigeria’s Presidential Air Fleet, reportedly brokered the deal, which saw the Federal Government paying $100m for a jet valued at $600m.

Chinese drama

With the jet purchased, questions arose about where the money came from, as the National Assembly had yet to approve the expenditure. It is a well-known requirement that any significant financial commitment by the executive arm of the government should pass through the National Assembly, particularly in a democracy such as Nigeria’s. According to reports, the Presidency purchased the jet from the Service Wide Votes.

While Nigerians awaited the presidential request for budgetary approval of the jet, news of the purchase was further confirmed when a Chinese firm, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Company Limited, secured a judgment from a French court to seize three presidential jets—a Dassault Falcon 7X, a Boeing 737 and an Airbus 330.

In 2007, the Ogun State Government entered into a joint venture agreement with Zhongshan and another company to create the Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone Company.

However, in the first half of 2016, the agreement between the parties broke down, leading to Zhongshan filing lawsuits in Nigerian federal and state courts to reinstate its contractual rights, which failed.

On Friday, August 16, Zhongshan announced that it had decided to release one of the three presidential aircraft belonging to the Nigerian government that had been clipped down in France.

The Chinese firm revealed that it did so as a gesture of goodwill, referencing a scheduled meeting between President Tinubu and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron. The company also said it realised the importance of the aircraft for this diplomatic engagement and, therefore, provided the equipment for use.

The dispute occurred just weeks before Tinubu’s scheduled participation in the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation, which will be held in Beijing, China, from September 3 to 8, 2024.

Misuse of service-wide votes

Nonetheless, the use of a service-wide vote and the secrecy surrounding its use for the purchase of the jet have drawn criticism from many Nigerians, including former principal officers of the Senate.

“It is very wrong to have gone to purchase the jet from the service-wide votes,” said a former lawmaker, who added, “We can’t blame the people in the National Assembly now because they don’t have a say; it’s about the accountant-general and auditor-general. Once the two agree on that, then the money can go. It’s not the best for us.”

Another former lawmaker criticised the government for acceding to such a purchase outside of appropriation. He argued, “Such an item requires appropriation; it’s not an item that should be purchased without appropriation.”

Similarly, some civil society organisations criticised the Federal Government for using service-wide votes to purchase the presidential jet.

The Chairman of the Centre for Accountability and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, called for checks and balances among the three tiers of government to prevent extra-budgetary spending.

“We suggest that the National Assembly be called to order because they cannot claim they don’t know how the process went. How long are we going to continue to run a kind of democracy that is hinged on the luxurious interests of our leaders? That does not speak well of us as a country or a democracy.

“The restructuring has to start from there; that is, there must be checks and balances all the way, majorly on the finances and nobody should engage in extra-budgetary spending unless it threatens the security of the country, or it is a matter of life and death for certain people, or there is war, or there is a pandemic or whatever,” he said.

Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, also described the purchase as misplaced and insensitive.

New jet will secure president’s life, not for luxury — Presidency

However, in response to Obi, the Presidency says a new jet is necessary to secure the president’s life.

“Does he (Obi) want him (Tinubu) to continue moving around in a rickety plane and die like the VP of Malawi and Iran President? Let him tell us. This is a basic thing any sane government will do. You can’t toy with your President’s welfare,” Onanuga said.