-Deborah Akinyosoye
Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, has stated that the Federal Government did not buy a new official jet for President Bola Tinubu, contrary to claims on social media.
Speaking on Sunday’s edition of Inside Sources on Channels Television, Onanuga stated that the government acquired a refurbished jet for the president, adding that the plane belongs to the country.
Onanuga stated that some jets in the presidential fleet purchased under former President Olusegun Obasanjo are all in bad condition, and their maintenance costs are outrageous.
He added that instead of spending a lot of money on aircraft maintenance, the President sought the approval of the National Assembly for a refurbished jet that was still in good condition.
Onanuga said the refurbished Airbus A330 would save Nigeria high maintenance costs in servicing the old aircraft.
He said, “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. The one President Buhari used was bought by President Obasanjo some 20 years ago.
“There was a time when the President went to Saudi Arabia, and that plane developed some problems. The President had to leave with a chartered jet to the Netherlands. It’s not President Tinubu’s plane. It belongs to the people of Nigeria. It is our property.”
Onanuga urged Nigerians to prioritise the President’s safety, noting that the newly acquired plane is Nigeria’s property and the jet would also benefit Tinubu’s successor.
The presidential spokesman said the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, okayed the purchase of a refurbished plane, saying that the maintenance costs of the old aircraft were exorbitant.
“People should try to prioritise the safety of the president. 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,” Onanuga said.
While the Presidency has continued to defend Tinubu’s action to purchase the refurbished Airbus A330, the move has been criticised by many Nigerians and some of the 2023 presidential candidates.
The President’s critics stated that he was not feeling the plight of poor Nigerians grappling under the weight of unprecedented food inflation and energy prices, which have quadrupled in the last one year.