Despite High Budget Deficit, Buhari To Spend N12.5bn On Presidential Jets

President Muhammadu Buhari has budgeted the sum of N12.5bn to rehabilitate and maintain the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF) in 2022.

Naija News reports that the Nigerian leader made this known in the 2022 budget submitted to a joint session of the National Assembly last week Thursday.

According to the details provided by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, Buhari will spend N2.4bn on compliance with mandatory upgrades on PAF aircraft.

The presidential jets are Boeing Business Jet (Boeing 737-800 or Airforce One), one Gulfstream 550, one Gulfstream V (Gulfstream 500), two Falcons 7X, one Hawker Sidley 4000, two AgustaWestland AW 139 helicopters and two AgustaWestland AW 101 helicopters.

The minister also revealed that the Presidency will spend N2bn on the overhaul of Gulf Stream G550, Falcon 7X and CL 605 engines.

The Presidency will also spend N2bn on the repair of air navigational equipment and the purchase of aircraft calibration equipment will gulp N500m.

According to the budget documents, the Presidency also budgeted N210m to purchase Phase 7 Avionics for AW 139 helicopters and use N250m to buy Aviation fuel for PAF.

The sum of N1.6bn was allocated to general maintenance in the PAF budget while N1bn will be spent on the maintenance of aircraft.

The Presidency had said the PAF had 10 aircraft at the inception of the regime in 2015, stating that some of the jets in the fleet have since been handed over to the Nigerian Air Force to boost its operations.