BY TEDDY NWANUNOBI

A 20-year-old presidential jet, Boeing 737-700 Business Jet, which was acquired in 2005 by the Federal Government under the President Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration, has been put up for sale, with the listing hosted by AMAC Aerospace in Basel, Switzerland.

According to the presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), which primarily takes care of presidential trips, will now be replaced by a new acquired Airbus ACJ330-200.

Onanuga revealed that the decision to sell the old Boeing stemmed from rising maintenance costs and reliability concerns associated with the older Boeing.

Although the exact asking price for the aircraft has not been disclosed by either AMAC Aerospace or the Nigerian government.

“The ageing BBJ had become increasingly expensive to maintain and had suffered a malfunction during a trip to Saudi Arabia,” Onanuga said.

He also confirmed the Airbus was delivered in July 2024 and now functions as the official presidential jet.

The Boeing 737-700 BBJ, originally purchased in 2005 during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, is currently undergoing inspections at AMAC Aerospace, Basel, according to public listings on Controller, a global aircraft sales platform.

The aircraft had served as the principal presidential jet under successive Nigerian administrations.

Nigerians and other civil society groups were alarmed in 2024 when it was reported that the government would spend over ₦150 billion on the new jet.

The Boeing aircraft, built in 2005, has logged approximately 3,821 flight hours and 1,881 landings. It accommodates 33 passengers and eight crew members in a five-zone layout, featuring a private bedroom with an ensuite shower, a VIP office, and business-class seating.

Equipped with Ka-band Wi-Fi, ADS-B Out, and FANS 1/A avionics, the BBJ underwent partial interior refurbishment in July 2024, including new carpeting and refurbishment of first-class seats. However, it is not under any engine maintenance program, with both CFM56-7BE engines maintained on an “on condition” basis.

Ex-Ohanaeze President General, Nwodo, Ezea revisit call for Adada State creation

Former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, and the senator representing Enugu North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Okey Ezea, have revisited the call for the creation of Adada State, to be carved out of the present Enugu State.

The duo made their case recently in Enugu during the Senate’s South East Zonal Public Hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution, where the Nwodo, a former Minister of Information, argued that Adada was long overdue, stressing that it was the only state recommended for creation in the 2014 National Conference, chaired by Justice Idris Kutigi.

Nwodo, in his remarks, traced the agitation for Adada State back to the early 1970s, during the administration of General Yakubu Gowon.

He said the zone, comprising the old Nsukka Province, had remained marginalised since independence, lacking even a state capital despite its population and resources.

“Adada is the most agitated state in Nigeria that remains denied, even after every other province in the country has been awarded with states, except for Nsukka province,” Nwodo said.

He maintained that the old Nsukka area has never had a state capital, while the southern parts of Igboland enjoy three.

“There are several reasons for the creation of Adada State. One, in the South East, during the last creation of states, the northern part of Igbo comprising Enugu and Ebonyi ended up with two states, while the southern parts got three. When you share things among your children and there is no equity, you bring anger and desperation.”

Nwodo also lamented what he described as gross underrepresentation and injustice in constituency distribution.

He argued that the creation of Adada would address both internal and regional imbalances within Igboland.

“The creation of Adada State will resolve the internal imbalance in Igboland, giving the northern Igbo (Wawa people) three states to match the three in the south. It will also bring the South East at par with other regions that already have six states,” Ugwu said.

He called on the National Assembly to expedite the process.

“So, what we are saying is that having met the provision of Section 8(1) of the 1999 Constitution, the next thing is that our request should be sent to INEC for referendum,” he said.