President Bola Tinubu on Saturday departed Abuja for Borno, Bauchi and Lagos aboard the 20-year-old Boeing 737 Business Jet earlier listed for sale in July but delisted months later due to poor buyer interest and lowball offers.
Earlier, Borno State Police Command said it had deployed tactical teams, surveillance squads, and operatives of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit to ensure adequate security in the state ahead of the President’s visit.
Tinubu left the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at 11:45am, kicking off a multi-state working visit and holiday tour that will see him inaugurate projects in Maiduguri, pay a condolence visit to the late Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi’s family in Bauchi, and mark the Yuletide in Lagos.
The President’s use of the Obasanjo-era jet (tail number 5N-FGT) confirmed the unannounced return of the aircraft to active service following its failed sale attempt earlier this year.
The Federal Government had pulled it from the international sales platform operated by US marketing firm JetHQ in early December, following months of unsuccessful attempts to dispose of the aging aircraft.
Acquired in 2005 for $43m during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure, the 20-year-old BBJ served multiple administrations until August 2024, when the Tinubu government took delivery of a refurbished Airbus A330-200.
It was first listed for sale in July 2025 as part of the Tinubu administration’s cost-cutting drive. That month, the plane was used to convey the remains of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari from London to Daura for burial.
Senior presidency officials had confirmed to PUNCH Online that the jet was delisted after prospective buyers quoted prices as low as $10m, far below government expectations for the aircraft, which underwent partial refurbishment and major C1-C2 inspections at AMAC Aerospace in Basel, Switzerland, in July 2024.
According to a statement released on Friday night by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President’s first stop will be Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, where he will inaugurate several projects executed by Governor Babagana Zulum’s administration in collaboration with the Federal Government.
Tinubu will also attend the wedding ceremony of Sadeeq Sheriff, son of former Borno State Governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, and his bride, Hadiza Kam Salem.
From Maiduguri, the President will proceed to Bauchi to condole with the state government and the family of the late Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, the renowned Muslim cleric and leader of the Tijjaniyya Muslim Brotherhood, who passed away on November 27 aged 101.
Following the condolence visit, Tinubu will travel to Lagos, where he will spend the Christmas and New Year holidays.
He is expected to serve as Guest of Honour at the Eyo Festival scheduled for December 27 at Tafawa Balewa Square.
The festival will honour prominent figures, including the President’s late mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, and former Lagos State Governors, Alhaji Lateef Jakande and Chief Michael Otedola.
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