Nigeria’s Presidential Air Fleet received at least N4.24bn in disbursements between June and December 2025, according to data from GovSpend, a civic technology platform that tracks Federal Government spending.
Findings showed that the funds were paid into the Presidential Air Fleet naira transit account operated by the State House in eight separate transactions recorded in June, July and December 2025.
The largest portion of the disbursements came in July, when four transfers totalling N2.43bn were made within one week.
The transactions included N1.285bn on June 12, N430m on July 24, N1.28bn on July 25, N92m on July 29 and N626m on July 31.
Additional payments recorded in December included N9m on Dec. 18, described as “Presidential Air Fleet forex transit funds,” N343.9m on Dec. 30 and N90.9m on Dec. 31.
Four of the eight transactions carried no description and were listed only as “None,” similar to previous disbursements made to the transit account.
Most of the transfers were categorised as “Forex Transit Funds,” typically used to cover international operational costs such as aircraft maintenance, fuel purchases and foreign currency-denominated services.
The latest figures add to a growing expenditure profile for the Presidential Air Fleet since President Bola Tinubu assumed office.
At least N26.38bn was spent on the fleet’s operations between July 2023 and December 2024, with N14.15bn disbursed in 2024 alone.
Budget allocations for the fleet stood at N17.32bn in 2025 before declining to N14.70bn in 2026, mainly due to reduced capital expenditure.
Engine overhaul projects accounted for N4.58bn in 2024, N8.65bn in 2025 and N6.05bn in 2026, bringing total spending on overhauls within the three-year period to N19.27bn.
Since 2017, allocations for the Presidential Air Fleet have risen steadily, except for a dip in 2020, increasing from N4.37bn in 2017 to N20.52bn in 2024.
General Secretary of the Aviation Round Table, Olumide Ohunayo, attributed the rising costs to the depreciation of the naira, ageing aircraft and growing security challenges.
According to him, maintenance costs continue to increase because aircraft parts, crew training and engineering services are paid for in dollars, while older aircraft require more extensive maintenance.
In April 2024, President Tinubu chartered a private jet to continue his trip to Saudi Arabia after a state-owned Gulfstream 550 developed a technical fault in the Netherlands.
The incident 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 A330 acquired for $100m through service-wide votes.
Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga said at the time that the aircraft would reduce maintenance and fuel costs.
From February to July 2025, the President reportedly used a San Marino-registered Boeing Business Jet identified as T7-NAS while the primary aircraft underwent repainting in South Africa.
The Presidential Air Fleet currently includes an Airbus ACJ330-200, Gulfstream G550, Gulfstream G500, two Falcon 7Xs, a Hawker 4000 and a Challenger 605, with three reportedly unserviceable.
Its helicopter fleet includes two Agusta 139s and two Agusta 101s operated by the Nigerian Air Force under the supervision of the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Chief Executive Officer of Centurion Security Limited, John Ojikutu said the level of spending was expected given the cost of aircraft maintenance, overseas repairs, fuel, accommodation and other operational logistics.
The Presidency did not respond to inquiries on the specific nature of the latest disbursements.
In an earlier interview, Onanuga defended the spending, saying the fleet belongs to Nigerians and that maintaining the President’s safety should remain a priority.
