President Bola Tinubu has departed Abuja, the nation’s capital, to France aboard the new presidential jet.
Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the Tinubu on information and strategy, made this known in a statement that the jet replaces the 19-year-old Boeing B737-700 purchased under former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
Onanuga said the airbus A330 will save Nigeria “huge maintenance and fuel costs, running into millions of dollars yearly” in servicing the old aircraft.
The recommendation to replace the B737-700 followed an investigative hearing by Nigeria’s parliament that questioned the plane’s safety record and cost efficiency, especially after it malfunctioned during a trip to Saudi Arabia.
The Nigerian Senate’s Security and Intelligence Committee recommended replacing the ageing aircraft in the presidential fleet to reduce downtime and operational expenses.
