President Bola Ahmed 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 later delisted due to poor buyer interest and low offers.
Naijaonpoint reports that the President left the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at about 11:45 am, commencing a multi-state working visit and holiday tour.
Ahead of the President’s arrival, the Borno State Police Command said it had deployed tactical teams, surveillance squads and operatives of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit to ensure adequate security across the state.
Tinubu’s journey confirmed the return of the Obasanjo-era jet with tail number 5N-FGT to active service, months after the Federal Government withdrew it from sale.
The aircraft, acquired in 2005 during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, had been listed for sale in July 2025 as part of the Tinubu administration’s cost-cutting measures.
It was later delisted in early December after prospective buyers reportedly submitted bids as low as $10m, far below the government’s expectations for the aircraft.
Senior presidency officials had earlier confirmed to The PUNCH that the jet was removed from the international sales platform operated by a US marketing firm following months of unsuccessful attempts to sell it.
The aircraft underwent partial refurbishment and major C1–C2 inspections at AMAC Aerospace in Basel, Switzerland, in July 2024.
The jet had served multiple administrations until August 2024, when the Tinubu government took delivery of a refurbished Airbus A330-200.
According to a statement issued on Friday night by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s first stop is Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
In Maiduguri, the President is expected to inaugurate several projects executed by the administration of Governor Babagana Zulum in collaboration with the Federal Government.
He 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 Borno, Tinubu will proceed to Bauchi to condole with the state government and the family of the late Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, the renowned Islamic cleric and leader of the Tijjaniyya Muslim Brotherhood, who died on November 27 at the age of 101.
The President will thereafter travel to Lagos, where he is expected to spend the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Tinubu is billed to serve as Guest of Honour at the Eyo Festival scheduled for December 27 at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.
The festival will honour notable personalities, including the President’s late mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, as well as former Lagos State Governors, Alhaji Lateef Jakande and Chief Michael Otedola.