Amid ongoing controversy surrounding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s use of a newly acquired Airbus A330 for his trip to Paris, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Print Media, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, has clarified that the plane was not brand new but a fairly used one acquired through an auction by a bank.
In an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, monitored by our correspondent in Kaduna, Abdulaziz disclosed that the aircraft was previously owned by an Arab before it was purchased by the Nigerian government. He explained that the decision to acquire the Airbus A330 was made after safety concerns arose about the previous presidential aircraft, a Boeing B737-700 (BBJ), which had to make an emergency return mid-flight with the Vice President on board.
The move to replace the 19-year-old Boeing B737-700, originally bought during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, came after an investigative hearing by the National Assembly raised questions about the plane’s safety record and cost efficiency.
Abdulaziz further noted that the funds used to purchase the Airbus A330 were drawn from the ‘service wide vote’—a special fund allocated for specific purposes—and not from the federal budget.
In related news, a French Court Has Authorized The Seizure Of Three Nigerian Presidential Jets, Valued At Millions Of Dollars, In A Dispute Between The Nigerian Government And A Chinese Company, Zhongshan.
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