The Presidential Air Fleet received at least N4.24bn in disbursements between June and December 2025, according to spending records published on GovSpend, a civic technology platform that tracks Federal Government expenditures.
Findings showed that the funds were paid into the Presidential Air Fleet naira transit account managed by the State House in eight separate transactions recorded across June, July and December 2025.
The largest chunk of the disbursements came in July, when four separate payments totalling about N2.43bn were made within one week.
Records showed that N1.285bn was released on June 12, while July transactions included N430m on July 24, N1.28bn on July 25, N92m on July 29 and N626m on July 31.
In December, additional disbursements included N9m on December 18, described as “Presidential Air Fleet forex transit funds,” N343.9m on December 30 and N90.9m on December 31.
Four of the transactions carried no description and were simply marked “None” on the GovSpend portal.
Most of the payments were tagged “Forex Transit Funds,” typically used to cover foreign exchange obligations related to overseas operations such as aircraft maintenance, fuel purchases and foreign technical services.
The latest figures add to the rising operational cost of the Presidential Air Fleet since President Bola Tinubu assumed office.
Available budget records indicate that at least N26.38bn was spent on the fleet between July 2023 and December 2024, with N14.15bn disbursed in 2024 alone.
The fleet was allocated N17.32bn in the 2025 budget, while the allocation dropped to N14.70bn in the 2026 budget largely due to lower capital expenditure projections.
Data further showed that engine overhaul projects across the presidential fleet gulped N4.58bn in 2024, N8.65bn in 2025 and N6.05bn in 2026, bringing total spending on engine maintenance over the three-year period to N19.27bn.
Since 2017, allocations to the Presidential Air Fleet have continued to rise, increasing from N4.37bn under former President Muhammadu Buhari to N20.52bn in 2024.
Industry experts attributed the rising cost to ageing aircraft, exchange rate volatility and increasing operational demands.
The General Secretary of the Aviation Round Table, Olumide Ohunayo, said maintenance expenses naturally increase with older aircraft and the depreciation of the naira against the dollar.
“As the naira keeps falling against the dollar, costs will rise because training, spare parts and engineering services are paid for in foreign currency,” he said.
He also noted that insecurity and terrorism concerns have contributed to higher insurance costs for presidential aircraft.
In April 2024, President Tinubu was forced to charter a private jet during an official trip after a state-owned Gulfstream G550 developed a technical fault in the Netherlands.
The incident later prompted the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence to recommend the purchase of two new presidential aircraft.
In August 2024, the Presidency replaced the official Boeing 737 business jet with an Airbus ACJ330-200 reportedly acquired for $100m through service-wide votes.
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Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, had defended the acquisition, saying the aircraft would reduce maintenance and fuel costs while improving safety.
Between February and July 2025, the President reportedly used a San Marino-registered Boeing Business Jet while the Airbus was taken to South Africa for repainting and modifications.
The Presidential Air Fleet currently includes an Airbus ACJ330-200, Gulfstream G550, Gulfstream G500, two Falcon 7Xs, a Hawker 4000 and a Challenger 605, although reports indicate that three of the aircraft are currently unserviceable.
The fleet also includes two Agusta 139 helicopters and two Agusta 101 helicopters operated by the Nigerian Air Force under the supervision of the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Security consultant and aviation expert, John Ojikutu, defended the level of spending, saying aircraft maintenance and operations involve multiple costs beyond repairs.
“If they are going for major maintenance checks abroad, you must factor in fuel, hotel accommodation, crew expenses and logistics. Those figures are not unusual,” he said.
The Presidency did not respond to requests seeking clarification on the recent disbursements as of the time this report was filed.
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