“FG Did Not Purchase Jet For Tinubu” – Onanuga

Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga has said that FG did not purchase a new official jet for President Tinubu, despite 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.”