By Damilare Adeleye
Reports have emerged that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has acquired a luxury Airbus A330 aircraft for presidential use.
According to reports, the newly acquired aircraft is currently in France and has been spotted at an advanced stage of preparation.
It was learnt that the plane has been assigned a tail registration that features the seal of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as it is reportedly ready for delivery.
The aircraft in question is an ACJ330-200, VP-CAC (msn 1053), registered as 5N-FGA.
Reports indicated that the aircraft features a bedroom with an en-suite bathroom at the front, followed by an office and a conference and dining room.
It also has an airline-style first-class and economy seating at the rear.
The report noted that informed sources from international aviation firms and news sites also indicate that as of early afternoon Nigerian time on July 15, 2024, the plane has been flown from Germany to an airport in Saint Louis, France.
The federal government had hinted plans buy buy a new presidential jet for the presidential use.
The development came on heel of recommendations from the House of Representatives committee on national security and intelligence to purchase two newer aircraft for the president and vice-president.
It was earlier reported that the Nigerian government intended to acquire a seized Airbus A330 aircraft, which was reportedly in possession of a German bank, following a default on a multi-million dollar loan by an unnamed Arab prince and businessman.
The purchase of the aircraft is coming as the nation grapples with economic challenges and record inflation.
Just today, Nigeria’s inflation rate has hit 34.19 % for June 2024, according to the latest data released by the National Bureau of State Statistics (NBS).
It was reported that the increase is of 0.24% points when compared to the inflation figure for May 2024 released by the NBS.
“In June 2024, the headline inflation rate increased to 34.19% relative to the May 2024 headline inflation rate which was 33.95%. Looking at the movement, the June 2024 headline inflation rate showed an increase of 0.24% points when compared to the May 2024 headline inflation rate,” the NBS said in its Consumer Price Index (CPI).
The CPI measures the average change over time in the prices of goods and services consumed by people for day-to-day living – released on Monday.
“On a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 11.40% points higher compared to the rate recorded in June 2023, which was 22.79%.”
According to the NBS, the headline inflation rate, year-on-year basis, jumped in June 2024 when compared to the same month in the last year.
It said on a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in June 2024 was 2.31%, 0.17% higher than the rate recorded in May 2024 (2.14%).
“This means that in the month of June 2024, the rate of increase in the average price level is higher than the rate of increase in the average price level in May 2024.”