The Nigerian government has spent at least N19.43 billion on the maintenance and operation of the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF) from July 2023 to September 2024, according to reports from GovSpend. This expenditure includes N13.55 billion disbursed in 2024, covering 66% of the year’s allocated budget for the fleet. Much of the spending was classified as “Forex Transit Funds,” intended to cover expenses for international operations, including maintenance and fuel.
A government official noted that “when aircraft on the fleet are abroad, payments are often made in U.S. dollars or another foreign currency to ensure uninterrupted operations.” Payments included two tranches totaling N1.52 billion in July 2023 and a cumulative N3.1 billion in August of that year.
An Airbus A330, valued at $100 million, was added to the fleet in August to replace an aging Boeing 737. The new addition, according to Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, is “spacious and furnished with state-of-the-art avionics, customised interior and communications system,” which is expected to reduce maintenance and fuel expenses. He asserted, “It’s not President Tinubu’s plane; it belongs to the people of Nigeria… what he has is a refurbished jet.”
The PAF, one of Africa’s largest government-owned air fleets with approximately 11 aircraft, has seen a 370% increase in its budget from N4.37 billion in 2017 to N20.52 billion in 2024. Onanuga defended the costs, stating, “Nigerians should try to prioritise the safety of the President… so that he can hand it over to whoever wants to take over from him.”
Critics have raised concerns over the rising allocations. Olumide Ohunayo, General Secretary of the Aviation Round Table, attributed the increased costs to the depreciating naira, older aircraft, and heightened security risks. “The cost will definitely increase over the years because… as the naira keeps falling to the dollar… the older the aircraft, the higher the cost of maintenance and operation,” he stated.
Debo Adeniran, Chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, expressed frustration over the perceived extravagance: “What we are getting from this administration is opposite to our expectation… it is a reenactment of the Shagari administration… without considering how much the masses are suffering.”
In recent events, Vice President Kashim Shettima’s Gulfstream aircraft sustained damage to its windshield during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York, prompting additional repair expenses. Adeniran criticized Shettima’s decision to abandon his trip to Samoa, citing lost opportunities for representation at the international forum.
