Tinubu’s travels cost treasury N26.38b as aircraft maintenance gobbles up funds
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
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“These planes are not flying like Air Peace or other commercial operators. So how frequently are they being used to even justify routine heavy maintenance like C-checks?”
“Are all these aircraft truly due for C-checks every year?”
“Ten aircraft in the presidential fleet are too many for a country like Nigeria” – John Ojukutu, aviation expert.
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Some N26.38 billion was spent on the Presidential Air Fleet in the first 18 months of Bola Tinubu’s tenure in the Villa, underscoring the high spending involved in presidential travel amid agitation for slashing the cost of governance.
Govspend, a civic tech platform that tracks government expenditures, disclosed that the disbursements were made between July 2023 and December 2024 for the operational and logistical upkeep of the fleet.
Between 2016 and 2022, former President Muhammadu Buhari allocated N81.80 billion for Presidential Air Fleet maintenance and foreign trips.
The amount included N62.47 billion (operation and maintenance), N17.29 billion (foreign and local trips), and N2.04 billion (other related expenses).
The presidency maintained 10 aircraft from Buhari’s inception in May 2015.
Some industry experts say the huge amount is mainly due to the weakness of naira to the dollar, since all aviation spending is in dollars. Others argue the presidency operates a very large fleet which may continue to swell public funds used for its maintenance.
Govspend discovered that funds were released in multiple batches under Tinubu, with high value outflows concentrated between April and August 2024, per The PUNCH.
High value disbursements for fleet in 2023
- 14 July – N846.03 million paid as “presidential air fleet forex transit funds”.
- 16 July – N674.82 million.
- 16 August – N2 billion disbursed, besides N387.6 million and N713.22 million paid earlier that month.
- November – N1.26 billion.
High value disbursements for fleet in 2024
- 7 March – N1.27 billion released for the fleet.
- 9 March – N1.27 billion.
- 23 April – N5.08 billion. Single largest transaction in the 18 months.
- 8 May 8 – N2.43 billion.
- 11 May – N1.27 billion.
- 25 May – N1.27 billion.
- 5 August – N1.25 billion and N2.21 billion.
- 6 August – N902.9 million and N1.24 billion.
- 8 August – N160.4 million.
- 11 September – N35 million.
- 29 September – N133 million.
- December – N290 million, N102.95 million, N25.25 million, and N8.7 million.
The Presidential Air Fleet, managed by the Nigerian Air Force, is responsible for the air transport needs of the President, Vice President, and senior government officials.
Despite its strategic role, the cost of maintaining the fleet has been a long-standing subject of public scrutiny and criticism, particularly in light of Nigeria’s fiscal pressures and rising debt service obligations.
Experts weigh in
A former senior official at Nigerian Airways described the high costs associated with maintaining Nigeria’s presidential fleet as a complex issue likely to persist unless major structural changes are made.
Frank Oruye (former Deputy Director of Engineering at now-defunct Nigeria Airways)
Oruye, who oversaw the procurement of aircraft for former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s official use, explained that the fleet’s diversity in aircraft types could significantly drive up maintenance costs.
Each type of aircraft requires its own set of equipment and servicing protocols, which complicates logistics and increases expenses.
“For example, the current fleet includes jets from various manufacturers, such as a Global Jet, a French-made aircraft, a Canadian jet, an American Gulfstream, among others,” Oruye said.
“Before you even consider large aircraft like the Boeing 737 or the newly acquired Airbus A350 under President Tinubu, you are already managing a wide range of aircraft that each requires specialised support equipment.”
He explained that geopolitical considerations are factored into maintaining a diverse fleet.
“You can’t put all your eggs in one basket. If your jets are all from a single country and diplomatic relations went sour, it could ground the entire fleet.
“Even if you want to do maintenance internally, you will still need to import most of the equipment. That is the reality of being a consumer nation with limited manufacturing capacity.”
John Ojukutu (retired Group Captain)
Called for a significant reduction in the number of aircraft operated by the presidency, saying the high cost of maintaining the fleet may also be largely due to its size, which is excessive and unnecessary.
In his view, the President and Vice President should not have more than four aircraft at their disposal.
“How many people are actually using these aircraft, and where are they going? Are they assigning one aircraft to each official in the presidency?” Ojukutu wondered.
Ojukutu recounted that Buhari once proposed reducing the presidential fleet from 10 aircraft to three which he (Ojukutu) saw as sensible and overdue.
“These planes are not flying like Air Peace or other commercial operators. So how frequently are they being used to even justify routine heavy maintenance like C-checks?”
He also questioned the frequency of major maintenance procedures on the fleet, noting that commercial airlines only conduct such checks after significant flight hours.
“Are all these aircraft truly due for C-checks every year?”
Ojukutu urged the presidency to operate no more than four aircraft, with the National Assembly possibly sharing two more.
“Ten aircraft in the presidential fleet are too many for a country like Nigeria.”
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