President Bola Tinubu will on Monday, August 19 depart Abuja for a trip to Paris, France.
His spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale announced the trip in a statement on Sunday night.
Mr Ngelale said Tinubu would return to Nigeria “after his brief work stay” in Europe. It was not immediately clear what the purpose of the trip was.
Tinubu’s trip to Paris would be his first aboard Nigeria’s new presidential jet, reports Premium Times.
According to the online newspaper, the aircraft landed at the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, at 8:30 p.m on Sunday and was received by officials of Nigeria’s Presidential Air Fleet, led by their commander Air Vice Marshal Olayinka Olusola.
Giving details of the aircraft, it said the Airbus 330 aircraft was recovered from an indebted oil sheikh who used the aeroplane as collateral for a loan he obtained from an unidentified German bank to buy it.
Nigeria reportedly paid over $100 million to purchase the aircraft.
The recommendation to replace the 19-year-old B737-700 (BBJ) previously in use by the president emerged from an investigative hearing by a committee of the House of Representatives that questioned the plane’s safety record and cost efficiency.
A presidency official, the newspaper quoted, said the “acquisition of the Airbus A330 is a prudent investment for Nigeria, offering enhanced safety, comfort, efficiency, and national pride.”
The source put the aircraft’s real market value in the region of $600 million.
