Recession: Presidency Affirms Advert On Sale of 2 Presidential Aircraft

The Presidency on Tuesday confirmed the newspaper advertisements for the sale of two presidential aircraft, a Falcon 7x executive jet and Hawker 4000. Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, made this known in a statement in Abuja. Shehu stated that the advertisements were duly authorised by the Presidency. According to him, this is in line with the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari that aircraft in the presidential air fleet be reduced to cut cost. He said that “when he (President Buhari) campaigned to become President, then being APC candidate Muhammadu Buhari, he promised to look at the presidential air fleet with a view to cutting down on waste.

“His directive to a government committee on this assignment is that he will like to see a compact and reliable aircraft for the safe airlift of government officials that go on special missions. “This exercise is by no means complete. “I am sure the Commander of Presidential air fleet will any time from now, call you to a ceremony at which he will hand over some aircraft to the Air Force for their operations.’’ The Presidential Aircraft Fleet contains 10 aircraft. They are Boeing Business Jet (Boeing 737-800 or AirForce One), one Gulfstream 550, one Gulfstream V (Gulfstream 500) and two Falcons 7X. Others are one Hawker Sidley 4000, two AgustaWestland AW 139 helicopters and twoAgustaWestland AW 101 helicopter.