Several criticisms trailed the purchase of a new presidential aircraft by the Bola Tinubu administration considering the economic turmoil Nigeria is currently grappling with. Media reports noted that the new aircraft is a multi-engine prestige jet, with an elaborate VIP configuration with registration number 5N-NGA as Nigeria’s new Air Force One.
The conversation about securing a new aircraft for the president started with regard to a recommendation made by the Committee on National Security and Intelligence after its technical subcommittee conducted a hearing on the status and airworthiness of the presidential aircraft, which was said to endanger the lives of the president and his vice.
Following this recommendation, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, emphasised that the upper chamber was willing to consider the approval for the purchase of presidential aircraft if requested.
Nigeria was said to have acquired the aircraft in a deal facilitated by L & L International LLC, a Miami, Florida-based American aviation company, with a purchase price exceeding $100 million. According to the presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, the deal saved Nigerians millions of dollars.
He said, “The new plane, bought far below the market price, saves Nigeria huge maintenance and fuel costs, running into millions of dollars yearly.”
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The jet was reported to have landed at the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, at 8:30 p.m. on the 18th of August and was received by officials of Nigeria’s Presidential Air Fleet, led by their commander, Olayinka Olusola, an air vice marshal. A media report confirmed that President Tinubu’s recent trip to France was on the newly purchased aircraft. It would be the president’s first time aboard the new presidential jet.
However, with these new purchases, the aftermath effect suggests that the president might increase the allocations for the maintenance of these aircraft. This report, however, looks back at how much has been allocated for the maintenance of presidential aircraft in the last four years.
Ripples Metrics findings showed that between 2021 and 2024, Nigeria has approved a total of N58.57 billion for Presidential Air Fleets (PAF), which covers both recurrent and current expenditures. This total approval was made under the administration of former president Muhammadu Buhari and Nigeria’s President Tinubu.
Breaking the data down, in 2021, the PAF was allocated N12.55 billion for its total expenditure. This amount decreased slightly to N12.43 billion in the allocation made in 2022. By 2023, during the final approved budget of Muhammadu Buhari, the PAF received N13.07 billion as its annual budget.
However, in Tinubu’s signed budget in 2024, the allocation to PAF increased sharply to N20.52 billion which was the highest allocation made.
Ripples Metrics has reported how Nigeria’s economy struggles with an increasing inflation rate, high cost of living and policies that have increased the process of crude oil products including the foreign exchange rate. Despite these, Nigeria’s Minimum wage which was recently increased by over 100 per cent is still very low to cater for the needs of an average worker.
By: James Odunayo
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