Federal Government Spends N549million As ‘Parking Fee’ On Faulty Presidential Jet Taken To Germany For Repairs
Checks by SaharaReporters revealed that the plane was moved from Zaria to Euro Airport in Germany on March 25 and arrived at 12:59pm. after departing with the Nigerian government paying a parking fee of €5,000 (Euros) per night.
Since it was transported to Germany for repairs, a Boeing Business Jet (Boeing 737-700) marked 5N-FGT owned by the Nigerian government has incurred parking charges of at least N549million, SaharaReporters can report.
The amount accounts for the aircraft’s parking charges for 68 days, at the rate of €5,000 (N8million) at the rate of N1613 to €1.
According to Ngnrates, one Euro is currently selling for N1613.435.
Checks by SaharaReporters revealed that the plane was moved from Zaria to Euro Airport in Germany on March 25 and arrived at 12:59pm. after departing with the Nigerian government paying a parking fee of €5,000 (Euros) per night.
This means by Tuesday, June 4, the Tinubu-led government had paid €340,000 as a parking fee for the aircraft.
The amount accounts for the aircraft’s parking charges for 68 days, at the rate of €5,000 (N8million) per day.
This excludes the millions of naira being spent on the repair of the jet.
Despite promising to cut waste, the Tinubu-led government has spent billions of Naira on the presidential fleet.
In April, the President was forced to travel to Saudi Arabia on a charter flight for the World Economic Forum in Riyadh from the Netherlands.
The President had left Nigeria with a Gulfstream Aerospace GV-SP (G550) with registration number 5N-FGW and serial number 5310 (Mode-S 0640F2) because the Boeing 737-700 marked 5N-FGT was undergoing rehabilitation in Germany.
However, the second aircraft he was travelling on developed a fault in the Netherlands.
The Nigerian leader had arrived in The Hague on April 23 from Nigeria for a series of economic and diplomatic engagements at the instance of Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
It was reported that the Nigerian President learnt shortly before he was scheduled to depart the Netherlands on Friday that his plane had suffered unspecified problems, one of which an official identified as including an oxygen leak.
The president and his delegation left the presidential aircraft behind and opted for a charter jet company to take them to Saudi Arabia for the forum.
The aircraft, a Gulfstream G550 class, was originally dedicated to Vice President, Kashim Shettima.
SaharaReporters learnt that it was the aircraft also used by former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Credit – Sahara Reporter
