There is fresh concern about the health status of the presidential fleet despite the cost of $8 million spent on repairs in the last two years. The Guardian, yesterday, learnt that the fleet has been depleted by routine maintenance and snags, which left President Bola Tinubu and officials departing the Netherlands to Saudi Arabia on a leased private jet.
It was reported that the president left for Europe on an official visit after which he proceeded on Friday to Ryadh, Saudi Arabia, to attend the World Economic Forum scheduled for yesterday and today.
The faulty plane, a Gulfstream G550, was originally assigned to Vice President Kashim Shettima. But Tinubu makes use of the aircraft on his foreign trips as his dedicated carrier, a Boeing 737 Business Jet, operated by the Nigerian Air Force 001, has been under maintenance for several weeks.
It was gathered that the Vice President, who was also on an official visit to Iperu-Remo at the weekend, has been flying on chartered planes. A senior official familiar with the maintenance of the presidential fleet told The Guardian that the snags were becoming routine.
The Boeing 737 Business Jet (BBJ) bought during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the cost of $43 million, is said to have gulped about $8 million between 2022 and 2024 for repairs and maintenance.
Sources confirmed that the aircraft had swallowed over $5 million in maintenance bills, constituting nearly half of the over $10 million liabilities inherited at the presidential fleet.
The senior official said: “Due to the age of the aircraft, maintenance cost has increased in recent times, and the amount of money spent on maintenance is huge. I am wondering how long it would take to continue to spend this much on maintenance when it could have been disposed of and a new one purchased.”
General Secretary of Society of Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (SLAMEN), Sheri Kyari, advised that purchasing a new one would be better to reduce the maintenance cost.
His words: “It is better for the government to buy a new one. How much is a brand-new aircraft? They should be able to get something much better from Boeing. For me, Boeing is still the way to go.”
