One of the three presidential jets ordered by the Federal Government last year has arrived the country.

Sources close to Aso Rock told our correspondent that the jet, a Falcon 7X, arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja from France a week ago.

The aircraft which was manufactured by Dassault Aviation of France cost the government $51m (about N7.65bn.)

The Federal Executive Council had on August 12, 2010 approved $102m for the purchase of two Falcon 7x and $53.3m for one Gulfstream G550 aircraft to beef up the Presidential Air Fleet.

Our source added that the second Falcon 7X would arrive the country during the second quarter of the year.

Confirming the arrival of the first jet, a top official of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, who pleaded anonymity as the matter has to do with the Presidency, said the aircraft arrived last week.

He said the presidential crew flying the aircraft had been on a two-week training in France.

Some officials of the regulatory agency, who will keep safety regulatory oversight on the ultra-modern jet had also gone on training in France, the source added.

“The jet came in last week. In fact, before they brought it into the country, some officials of NCAA, including a regional manager, had gone to inspect the plane. The second Falcon 7X will arrive later,” he added.

In what is probably its first mission, the jet was said to have conveyed the the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, to Sokoto on Tuesday.

Sources in Sokoto confirmed that the jet, marked Nigerian Air Force 5N-FGU, was sighted at the Sa’ad Abubakar III Airport, Sokoto.

The two Falcon 7X aircraft are to be supplied by Messrs Dassault Aviation of France, while the Gulfstream G550 will come from Messrs Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation of the United States.

The Federal Government had expected the first Falcon 7X aircraft to arrive in Nigeria by the end of December and the second in the second quarter of 2011.

The Gulfstream G550 is also expected in the country by the second quarter of 2011.

The sum of[b] N21bn [/b]was provided in the 2010 budget for the purchase of the three aircraft.

The former Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, had told journalists in Abuja last year that the Federal Executive Council approved the purchase of the aircraft.

FEC had at the end of its November 25, 2009 meeting announced that the government had commenced a phased replacement of aircraft in the PAF.

The government explained that the decision to drop some of the eight aircraft in the PAF followed the discovery that they had become too expensive to maintain due to old age.

mens dept:

Wow, fantastic. At least the HOS and govt people flying with him can fly around the world in style, and give foreigners a sense that Naija is afterall, a real nation, developed, peaeful, and serious.


By the way, its great the rest of Naija folks have to use Air France, KLM, and even Emirates to fly, meaning that perhaps there's something inherantly inferior about our people

blink182:

Do you have any brains in you at all?

oyb:

its called sarcasm

meanwhile in other news the[b] indefatigble damep has launched the jet on an erm 'official' trip to sokoto [/b]

mens dept:

Wow, fantastic. At least the HOS and govt people flying with him can fly around the world in style, and give foreigners a sense that Naija is afterall, a real nation, developed, peaeful, and serious.


By the way, its great the rest of Naija folks have to use Air France, KLM, and even Emirates to fly, meaning that perhaps there's something inherantly inferior about our people

What is this?

blink182:

Seriously speaking, I'm thinking of buying long range sniper rifles to shoot someone on the podium

[i]SECONDED, I WILL GLADLY JOIN YOU IN THE CRUSADE , [/i]

mens dept:

Wow, fantastic. At least the HOS and govt people flying with him can fly around the world in style, and give foreigners a sense that Naija is afterall, a real nation, developed, peaeful, and serious.


By the way, its great the rest of Naija folks have to use Air France, KLM, and even Emirates to fly, meaning that perhaps there's something inherantly inferior about our people

mens dept:

Wow, fantastic. At least the HOS and govt people flying with him can fly around the world in style, and give foreigners a sense that Naija is afterall, a real nation, developed, peaeful, and serious.


By the way, its great the rest of Naija folks have to use Air France, KLM, and even Emirates to fly, meaning that perhaps there's something inherantly inferior about our people

ObamaUS:

I thought OBJ purchased some aircrafts, Or am i wrong?

ObamaUS:

I thought OBJ purchased some aircrafts, Or am i wrong?

It is the same aircrafts that OBJ wanted to purchase but before it was approved, he left office and president YAR ADUA of blessed memory actually signed for it after it was approved by the national assembly and it was captured in the 2010 budget and contract for it was awarded since last year.

I dont know what the fuss is all about! If Buhari wins (GOD FORBID) the presidential election, wont he use it?

Wow, fantastic. At least the HOS and govt people flying with him can fly around the world in style, and give foreigners a sense that Naija is afterall, a real nation, developed, peaeful, and serious.


By the way, its great the rest of Naija folks have to use Air France, KLM, and even Emirates to fly, meaning that perhaps there's something inherantly inferior about our people

stagger:

Nothing wrong with this. The last set was bought by IBB and those ones do not conform to the noise standards in the US and Europe and had to be sold. At least for the next 20 years, we don't need to replace them.

There is no country where the President goes on commercial flights like OBJ had to do sometime ago. It is demeaning and a security threat to any country.

My only issue is the number procured. Two would have been ok, and the extra N7billion used for some other capital projects.

rainbowman:

if Buhari was soo humble as most of you claim, why didn't he scrap the Presidential fleet when he was Head of State??