Abuja, Nigeria – E be like say Federal Government don finally decide say it’s time to jettison some old luggage wey no dey fly again. Dem don list Nigeria’s 20-year-old Boeing 737-700 Business Jet (BBJ) wey dem use for presidential waka for sale. E dey find new owner for AMAC Aerospace wey dey Basel, Switzerland. No be small thing o!
This aircraft wey dem buy for a whopping $43 million back in 2005 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo don waka wahala as e dey join some serious ‘old school’ drama. Just last August, the current oga at the top, President Bola Tinubu, switch to fresh Airbus A330-200 after plenty people don dey complain about the costs and safety wey this old jet dey carry. (People no go ever get enough of ‘who carry our money go?’)
The BBJ don make plenty time on top air since 2005 but according to aviation experts, na long story wey the jet don collect. E don chop over 3,821 flight hours and land over 1,881 times. Fancy, abi? But no forget, the thing don start dey expensive to maintain and dem don even get some serious safety issues. Last year, e panic everybody when e collect small wahala for Saudi Arabia.
Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesperson, talk say the BBJ don turn to heavy burden for the government pocket. “Maintenance costs don dey rise like believe, no be small. Na why we switch to the Airbus, to save some coins and improve reliability,” he explain. The new jet wey dem collect last year now dey carry the presidential load.
As we dey talk, the old BBJ dey undergo inspection and all those kaftan checks for Basel, but wetin be the price for this aging bird? No body fit answer that one yet. But one thing we sabi be say, no serious buyer don show interest. (Maybe dem dey think about that yellow cab wey fit carry them from the airport to their house instead)
Even as the government dey try jettison this BBJ, e no be small dilemma wey plenty Nigerians dey raise eyebrows. Dem dey fast to question as government dey spend N150 billion plus on the new Airbus when people dey struggle for basic things like food and light. Who dem wan deceive?
This decision to sell the BBJ fit be part of the grand plan to slim down the presidential air fleet wey dey approximate to 10 planes. But as usual, the truth be say, plenty people just dey reason wetin dem go do to survive. As e be, the sale of the jet na just one small part of the story, plenty things still dey need to change for we country.
