- Onanuga disclosed that he spoke with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who lamented the high rate of maintaining the faulty planes
The Presidency has revealed the reason for the acquisition of a new presidential jet for President Bola Tinubu.
According to Tinubu’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, the current jet was procured due to safety concern and unreliability of the existing presidential jets.
Onanuga disclosed that he spoke with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who lamented the high cost of maintaining the faulty planes.
Featuring on Inside Sources, a programme on Channels Television, Onanuga stated that it was imperative to buy the new private jet to avert any plane crash involving the president.
He said: “People should try to prioritise the safety of the president. I’m not sure anybody wishes for our president to go and crash in the air. We want his safety so that he can hand over to whoever wants to take over from him.”
The state of the Presidential Air Fleet has been a source of concern of late.
In May, a faulty presidential jet stopped Vice President Kashim Shettima from attending the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa.
Last December, a Falcon 900B presidential aircraft was put up for sale, with the Nigerian Air Force asking interested persons to submit their bids for the purchase of the aircraft