The Federal Government has announced its decision to sell three ageing jets from the presidential air fleet.
INFORMATION NIGERIA learnt that the development is part of efforts put in place by the current administration to reduce the high costs of its maintenance.
The decision was revealed amidst recommendations from both the House of Representatives and the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, advocating for the procurement of new aircraft for the President and Vice-President’s use.
The aircraft identified for sale include a Boeing 737 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), which is the President’s designated aircraft, a Gulfstream, and a Falcon 7x.
According to The Cable, the federal government has contracted JetHQ, a prominent US-based airline marketer, to oversee the sale of these three aircraft.
The above mentioned media also noted that exclusive marketing agreement has been signed, granting JetHQ the authority to value and market the planes.
READ MORE: Federal Government puts up presidential jet for sale
A source who preferred to be anonymous told The Cable, on Friday that proceeds from the sale would go into procuring a new jet for the fleet, for which a search is ongoing.
He said: “We saw the report and recommendation by the lawmakers. But the truth of the matter is that we can not afford to buy two aircraft at a go, even though we are selling off others.
“The approval now is to find one whose cost is not too much that we can augment with what we raise from this sale.”
“Yes, we have received two offers for the BBJ and one for the Falcon X. But the NSA insisted that we must press for a better deal instead of rushing to have a bad deal for the government,” another official involved with the process said on condition of anonymity.
