Presidency Concludes Plan to Sell Two Aircraft Purchased in 2010

The Presidency has concluded the process for the sale of two presidential aircraft, a Falcon 7x executive jet and Hawker 4000, The Punch reports.

In a statement on October 4, the Presidency had confirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari had authorised the sale of the two jets.

Advertisements were then placed in newspapers for interested buyers to bid for the aircraft.

A top Presidency source revealed on the condition of anonymity on Monday that the process of selling the aircraft which was handled by the Office of the National Security Adviser had been concluded.

He said, “The bids were opened in the presence of all interested parties about two weeks ago.

The Presidential Air Fleet(PAF) had 10 aircraft at the inception of Buhari's administration.

These are: Boeing Business Jet (Boeing 737-800 or Air Force One), one Gulfstream 550, one Gulfstream V (Gulfstream 500), two Falcons 7X, one Hawker Sidley 4000, two Agusta Westland AW 139 helicopters and two AgustaWestland AW 101 helicopters.

Each of the two Falcon 7X jets were purchased in 2010 by the Federal Government for $51.1m, while the Gulfstream 550 costs $53.3m, a former Minister of Information, the late Prof. Dora Akunyili, had said.

Culled from the Punch