Nigerian govt appoints US broker to sell ageing presidential jets

The Nigerian government has appointed a US-based broker to sell three ageing aircraft in the presidential fleet amidst plans to purchase new ones.

A Nigerian paper, The Cable, reported that US-based airline marketer, JetHQ, has been appointed as the broker to sell a Boeing 737 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), which is the president’s designated aircraft, one Gulfstream, and a Falcon 7x.

JetHQ is to value the three aircraft and subsequently market them.

Officials who spoke to the newspaper said the country would use the proceeds from the sales to augment the funds for the purchase of a new plane.

PREMIUM TIMES had exclusively reported that the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence recommended the purchase of two new jets for the president and vice president.

However, the committee has yet to submit the report for adoption by the House as the lawmakers are still on holiday.

The report by the lawmakers classified many of the aircraft as unserviceable, adding that due to their age, the cost of maintenance is unsustainable.

The 737 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), which is the main presidential jet, is 19 years old and is currently undergoing maintenance. The committee in the report said the plane is unserviceable.

The Gulfstream GV is 23 years old.

Debate over purchase of new planes

The House report triggered widespread criticisms by some Nigerians who questioned the wisdom in buying new aeroplanes at a time when Nigeria is facing severe economic hardship.

The former presidential candidate of the Labour Party at the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, condemned the report, urging the government to shelve any plan to purchase new planes amidst economic hardship in the country.

However, on the other side of the divide, the argument has been about the safety of the current leaders of the country, President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence also backed the move to make the purchase, citing safety concerns.

The recent helicopter crash that killed Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and the plane crash involving Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Chilima have heightened concerns over the safety of the leaders.

Aides of the president have used this same argument to buttress their point for the purchase and to tackle critics.

Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and strategy to the president, while replying to Mr Obi, raised the issue of safety.

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“Does Peter Obi want the president dead? Is that his wish? Does he want him to continue moving around in a rickety plane and die like the VP of Malawi and Iran President? Let him tell us.” Mr Onanuga said in an interview with the PUNCH newspaper.

“The plane he (Tinubu) uses now, I learnt, was bought during (former President) Obasanjo’s era. That was over 20 years ago and I learnt it was a very small plane.”