President Tinubu Departs For Three-State Tour On Obasanjo-Era Jet (Video)

President Bola Tinubu on Saturday left Abuja for Borno, Bauchi, and Lagos aboard a 20-year-old Boeing 737 Business Jet, which had been listed for sale in July but was later removed from the market due to low buyer interest and unappealing 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.

Watch the video here:

𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐛𝐮 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞-𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐨-𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐣𝐞𝐭

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… pic.twitter.com/dy5jochK6V

— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) December 20, 2025

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.