Over the past 11 months, the Federal Government has allocated a significant ₦14.77 billion for the repair and maintenance of the presidential air fleet.
This funding was distributed in 11 installments between July 16, 2023, and May 25, 2024, through the State House headquarters transit account specifically for the Presidential Air Fleet Transit Funds.
This substantial financial commitment comes as the National Assembly considers approving the purchase of two new aircraft for the presidential fleet.
The President’s primary aircraft, a 19-year-old Boeing 737, and several other fleet planes have become dysfunctional due to age and wear.
The House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence has been key in advancing these procurement plans, incorporating the acquisition into its technical subcommittee report. Experts estimate the cost of purchasing two new state-of-the-art aircraft to be over $623.4 million, or approximately ₦918.7 billion.
The committee’s report states, “The committee is of the strong and informed opinion that considering the fragile structure of the Nigerian federation and recognizing the dire consequences of any foreseen or unforeseen mishap that may arise as a result of technical/operational inadequacy of the Presidential Air Fleet, it is in the best interest of the country to procure two additional aircraft as recommended.
This will also prove to be most cost-efficient in the long run, aside from the added advantage of providing a suitable, comfortable and safe carrier befitting of the status and responsibilities of the offices of the President and Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Recently, there has been significant debate over the state of the air fleet, despite substantial government spending on it during past administrations. President Bola Tinubu has had to charter private jets, and Vice President Kashim Shettima has canceled international trips due to the unavailability of the president’s jet.
On May 6, 2024, the Vice President abandoned his trip to the US-Africa Business Summit due to a technical fault with his official aircraft. The President had to take a commercial flight to Saudi Arabia after his main jet was sent for rehabilitation and a second aircraft developed a technical issue in The Netherlands.
The Presidency currently operates a fleet of six aircraft: a Boeing 737, a Gulfstream G550, a Gulfstream GV, two Falcon 7Xs, and a Challenger CL605, along with six helicopters—two Agusta 139s and four Agusta 189s.
During his eight-year tenure, former President Buhari’s administration spent ₦62.47 billion on the operation and maintenance of the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF). Although Buhari promised to reduce the fleet size to cut governance costs, this pledge was not fulfilled.
In 2016, ₦3.65 billion was allocated for the PAF, which increased to ₦4.37 billion in 2017. In 2018 and 2019, the allocation nearly doubled to ₦7.26 billion and ₦7.30 billion, respectively. In 2020, the budget slightly decreased by ₦503.75 million to ₦6.79 billion. The allocation surged to ₦12.55 billion and ₦12.48 billion in 2021 and 2022, respectively, before dropping to ₦8.07 billion in 2023.
According to checks by Punch using GovSpend, a civic tech platform that tracks and analyzes Federal Government spending, President Tinubu approved ₦14.77 billion within one year of assuming office. This amount is separate from expenses incurred during foreign and local trips by the President, Vice President, and other officials.
The disbursements included ₦1.52 billion in July 2023, ₦3.1 billion in August, ₦1.26 billion in November 2023, ₦2.54 billion in March 2024, ₦6.35 billion in April 2024, and ₦1.27 billion in May 2024.
