By Hammed Hammed From Osun State
Presshub media agency can file that barring any change in plans, the Nigerian authorities will buy an Airbus A330 aircraft seized from an unnamed Arab prince and businessman who could not pay loads of thousands and thousands of dollars he owed a German bank.
Presidency officials have stored their lips close about plans to shop for a brand new presidential jet. however, this newspaper has received information that the government has already recognized an aircraft for purchase but is scrambling for budget to consummate the transaction.
The recognized aircraft is said to be a repossessed one recovered from a afflicted oil sheikh who used the aeroplane as collateral for a loan he obtained from an unidentified German financial institution to shop for it. when a bank mortgage is taken to purchase an plane, the aircraft is usually pledged as collateral.
Our assets stated the bank repossessed the aircraft from the debtor businessman however found it hard to promote because of its executive customisation.
The aircraft is now inside the possession of L & L international LLC, an American aviation company based in Miami, Florida. L & L global LLC is trying to assist the German financial institution sell it to the Nigerian authorities.
The multi-engine prestige jet, which has an elaborate VIP configuration, is stated to be worth $six hundred million. however the Nigerian government is supplying “a little over $a hundred million.” Our assets say they are unsure if that provide is acceptable to L & L global LLC.
“If L & L global accepts the amount provided, it is going to be an extremely good deal for Nigeria,” one of our sources, an aviation professional, stated. “Nigeria can resell it two times or triple that amount. And it is a great plane.” A L & L global spokesperson told presshub media corporation Thursday that he has no information to proportion regarding the transaction.
every other supply said AMAC Aerospace AG, a Swiss aviation agency, is coordinating the Nigerian authorities’s buy of the aircraft. AMAC Aerospace AG has a long-standing aircraft upkeep agreement with Nigeria’s Presidential Air Fleet (PAF).
in step with the supply, the organisation diagnosed the aircraft and advocated that the Nigerian authorities buy it, bringing up its less costly fee and reliability. The corporation is now coordinating the purchase by means of liaising with L & L worldwide and Nigeria’s presidential air fleet officers.
whilst contacted, Alexis Ott, AMAC Aerospace’s director of protection sales and key account control, declined remark, announcing he couldn’t discuss his organization’s enterprise relationships with unrelated events.
multiple presidential sources informed presshub media agency that the authorities is now scrambling to locate the budget to shop for the plane. even as the authorities has put 3 of the plane in the fleet on the market, it’s far believed that they’ll no longer fetch enough cash to settle the value of the aircraft to be obtained as a replacement.
An official said some of the money to buy the plane would come from the N180 billion contingency fund supplied for a service-extensive vote within the 2023 supplementary budget. On Thursday, the national meeting permitted President Bola Tinubu’s request to increase the lifespan of the 2023 supplementary finances to December 31.
“The government did no longer envisage the purchase of plane this 12 months, so there may be no provision for it inside the 2024 budget,” one legit stated, asking no longer to be named due to the fact he has no permission to talk on the matter. “however with the airworthiness of a few plane inside the presidential air fleet now suspect, as a minimum one aircraft will need to get replaced to solve that emergency.”
In a June four file forwarded to the presidency after an investigative listening to, the residence Committee on national safety and Intelligence requested the federal authorities to immediately procure two aeroplanes for Messrs Tinubu and Shettima to secure the transportation of the u . s .’s top officers.
The house Committee’s call right away induced tremendous complaint from some Nigerians, who puzzled the awareness of purchasing new aeroplanes whilst Nigeria faces severe financial worry.
but, a few days later, the Senate Committee on countrywide security and Intelligence supported the tips made by using its residence of Representatives counterpart. The Chairman of the Committee, Shehu Buba, who spoke to presshub media organization exclusively from Saudi Arabia, wherein he performed this yr’s hajj, said now not speedy overhauling the presidential air fleet ought to endanger the president’s and his deputy’s lives.
Mr Buba stated, “it is real that our united states is going through monetary trouble, however as a way to no longer justify jeopardising or endangering the lives of our president, our vice president, other top authorities officers, and any citizen for that count number.
“we are all privy to the air mishaps in Iran and Malawi these days, which claimed the lives of the president and vice president of these countries, respectively. We commiserate with the human beings and governments of these nations. however we need to also, as a people, do whatever is vital to decrease the possibility of such failures in our country.
“No sacrifice is too much to pay for the safety of our leaders and residents. We elected them. So, we’ve got a collective obligation to shield them always.”
when requested why lawmakers are pushing for new aircraft for the country’s pinnacle leaders but uninterested in calling on the authorities to pay workers a respectable minimal wage, the Senator said, “The suggestions they (house Committee) made are related to the ones subjects.
The protection of our leaders and the health of the presidential air fleet are topics of countrywide security difficulty. raising the ones topics does now not imply the committee contributors do now not care about the difficulty of minimal wage, that is already being properly handled by means of authorities and organised labour.”
A senior aide to Mr Tinubu informed presshub media agency Thursday night time that the authorities could not heed the national meeting’s call to buy two new plane.
He said, “The excellent the authorities can do is to head for one for the time being, and it is gladdening that we are getting an excellent second-hand aircraft at a terrific charge.”
The workplace of the country wide safety Adviser (ONSA) spokesperson, Zakari Minjiyawa, declined to comment on Thursday when requested about the popularity of the presidential jet transaction. He stated the Presidential Air Fleet, domiciled in ONSA, had but to quick him on any development on the matter.