Peter Obi's Speech: President Buhari Orders sell of 2 Presidential Jets

To cut cost of running the government, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the disposal of two of the aircraft operated by the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF) of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).

The Presidency has placed an advert on a national newspaper advertising the sale of the two Presidential jets. According to the advert, the two aircraft to be disposed-off comprise a Falcon 7X executive jet and Hawker 4000. The airplanes, however, are just two of well over a dozen aircraft believed to be in the PAF.

Remember on the October 1^st, the former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi gave a lengthy speech at the Platform on how government can cut down the cost of running government and maintenance thereby making savings for proper use of the government funds.

ONSA, in the advert, said all bids should be quoted in US dollars and invited interested buyers are to inspect the Falcon at the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International, Airport, Abuja, while the Hawker aircraft is to be inspected at the Cessna Zurich Citation Service Centre in Zurich, Switzerland.
Interested buyers were given four weeks from yesterday to submit their bids for the two aircraft.
The Falcon 7X has a registration number, 5N-FGU and serial number 090. It has a passenger capacity for 16 persons and three crew members.

Its highlights include: Entry of service (2011); one owner; time of service: 2,776:47 hours; cycles since purchase: 2363; engine completed HSI in May 2016; engine time to overhaul is 4,529hrs: and ready for sale immediately.

The Hawker 4000 aircraft has a registration number 5N-FGX and serial number RC 066. It has a passenger capacity of nine persons, three crew, and highlights of service entry was in 2012; 1,178:15hrs since time of service; 1,146hours cycles; engine time overhaul is 4,821hours; and is ready for sale immediately.

In a statement yesterday by the president’s media aide, Mallam Garba Shehu, the presidency confirmed that the newspaper advertisement in national newspaper for the sale of two presidential aircraft was duly authorised by President Buhari.
According to him, the decision was in line with the directive by Buhari that aircraft in the presidential air fleet be reduced to cut waste.

With its luxury configuration comprising a master bedroom, washrooms and showers, a conference and dinning area, and a living area, the plane seats 25 to 50 passengers and would cost at least $100 million to replace today.
THISDAY gathered that about eight of the planes are reserved strictly for the president. Others are reserved for executive airlift.

The aircraft reserved for executive airlift are used by the Vice-President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and could be used to convey African heads of states visiting or departing Nigeria.