President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to depart Abuja on Monday, August 19, for a brief working visit to Paris, France. According to his spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, the president will return to Nigeria shortly after his stay in France.
This trip marks President Tinubu’s first aboard Nigeria’s newly acquired luxury Airbus A330 aircraft, which arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja at 8:29 pm on Sunday, as reported by PremiumTimes. The aircraft was welcomed by officials from Nigeria’s Presidential Air Fleet, led by Air Vice Marshal Olayinka Olusola.
The Airbus A330, now designated as Nigeria’s Airforce One with the registration number 5N-NGA, was purchased for over $100 million through a deal brokered by L & L International LLC, an American aviation firm. The jet, which has an elaborate VIP configuration, was reportedly repossessed from an indebted oil sheikh who had used it as collateral for a loan from an unidentified German bank. A presidency official highlighted the acquisition as an excellent deal for Nigeria, estimating the aircraft’s market value at around $600 million.
