TD Nigerians are questioning why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appears to be travelling on a private aircraft during his current European trip despite Nigeria having a presidential aircraft he acquired with public funds.
One such Nigerian citizen, Samuel Omogor, took to social media to express his frustration over the decision and urged Nigerians to also join voices.
Omogor asked: “Where is the presidential jet?” and called on Nigerians to establish why the President was reportedly using a private jet instead of Nigeria’s official presidential aircraft.
His post included photographs he identified as showing Nigeria’s presidential aircraft and another, smaller aircraft which he said was being used by Tinubu on his current trip.
Tinubu’s current European trip
Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30, 2026, for a three-week working vacation in Europe, initially travelling to London.
The Presidency subsequently announced that he had moved to Paris, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron and held discussions with businessman Vincent Bolloré.
On September 21, the Presidency announced that Tinubu had extended his stay in Europe by several days and would return to Nigeria at the weekend.
The Presidency has not, in its public statements reviewed for this report, identified the aircraft used for Tinubu’s current European trip.
Nigeria acquired a new presidential aircraft in 2024
The question has revived attention on Nigeria’s Presidential Air Fleet and the acquisition of an Airbus A330 for Tinubu in 2024.
The Presidency unveiled the aircraft in August 2024, describing it as a replacement for the 19-year-old Boeing 737-700 Business Jet that had previously served as the principal presidential aircraft.
The Airbus A330, registered 5N-FGA, was acquired for approximately $100 million, or about N150 billion, according to subsequent government disclosures and media reports.
The aircraft was configured with VIP facilities including a bedroom, office, conference room, dining area and secure communications facilities.
The acquisition itself generated controversy in 2024, with opposition politicians and civil-society voices questioning the expenditure at a time of severe economic pressure.
But Tinubu has previously used another private aircraft
There is an important piece of history behind the question raised by Omogor.
The PUNCH reported in 2025 that after the Airbus A330 went out of service for refurbishment, Tinubu had been using a San Marino-registered Boeing Business Jet, registration T7-NAS, for some local and international journeys.
The A330 had reportedly been taken to South Africa for refurbishment and repainting before returning to service.
In another report, PUNCH said government officials had acknowledged that chartering could sometimes become necessary when aircraft in the Presidential Air Fleet were unavailable or already assigned to other duties.
This means that the mere appearance of a private or foreign-registered aircraft does not, by itself, establish that the President deliberately abandoned the official aircraft or that public funds were improperly spent on a charter.
The specific aircraft used by Tinubu during the August–September 2026 European trip, however, has not been publicly identified by the Presidency in the sources reviewed for this report.
What happened to the old Boeing 737?
Omogor also referred to other aircraft previously associated with Nigeria’s presidential fleet.
The older Boeing 737-700 BBJ, acquired during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration and used by successive presidents, was replaced as the main presidential aircraft by the Airbus A330 in 2024.
The Federal Government subsequently placed the Boeing aircraft on the market.
PUNCH reported that the aircraft had served as the presidential aircraft until August 2024, when the A330 became the new primary aircraft.
Consequently, the suggestion that the old Boeing 737 is currently available to replace the A330 is not supported by the current record: the government had moved to sell the aircraft after it was superseded.
Nigeria still maintains a wider Presidential Air Fleet
The President’s aircraft is only one component of Nigeria’s Presidential Air Fleet.
Reports have documented other fixed-wing aircraft in the fleet, including Gulfstream aircraft and Dassault Falcon 7X jets, alongside helicopters.
PUNCH reported in 2026 that the government was still allocating substantial sums to maintenance and engine-overhaul projects involving several aircraft in the Presidential Air Fleet.
The report said engine-overhaul allocations for some aircraft totalled billions of naira between 2024 and 2026.
This means Nigeria maintains several aircraft for presidential, vice-presidential and other high-level government transportation requirements rather than operating a single aircraft exclusively for every official journey.
Can the presidential aircraft really be “hidden”?
Omogor also argued that Nigeria’s presidential aircraft cannot be hidden from international tracking systems and that other countries would know where it was operating.
There is some truth to the broader point that modern aircraft can often be detected and tracked, but the claim that a government aircraft cannot be hidden from tracking systems under any circumstances is too absolute.
The Federal Aviation Administration explains that ADS-B broadcasts aircraft identification and position information that can be received by suitably equipped systems However, aircraft may not appear on public tracking platforms because of equipment, coverage or deliberate restrictions.
Flightradar24 similarly says some government and military aircraft may be blocked from its public display for security reasons, while aircraft can also disappear because of transponder or coverage limitations.
The International Civil Aviation Organization has also acknowledged the security and privacy implications of publicly available ADS-B information involving sensitive government and state aircraft.
Therefore, the fact that an aircraft does not appear on a public tracking website would not by itself prove that it is not flying or that its location is unknown to foreign authorities.
The unanswered question
Omogor’s central question nevertheless raises a legitimate issue of public accountability: which aircraft is President Tinubu using for his current European trip, and who is paying for its operation?
If the aircraft is privately chartered, Nigerians may reasonably ask whether it was hired by the Federal Government, whether it forms part of an existing government arrangement, why it was selected instead of the presidential A330, and what the cost was.
If, on the other hand, the aircraft is part of an official government arrangement or was used because the A330 was unavailable, the Presidency could settle the speculation by identifying the aircraft and explaining the operational reason.
For now, the available public record confirms that Tinubu is in Europe and that Nigeria possesses a publicly funded Presidential Air Fleet, including the Airbus A330 acquired in 2024. It does not, however, independently establish that the President is currently using a privately chartered aircraft or that such a charter was paid for with public funds.
The question raised by Omogor therefore remains one that the Presidency can answer most directly by providing the aircraft’s identity and the official travel arrangements for the current trip.
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Where Is Tinubu’s Presidential Jet? Nigerian Citizen Questions Private Aircraft Use
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A Nigerian citizen has questioned President Tinubu’s alleged use of a private jet during his European trip despite Nigeria’s N150bn presidential Airbus A330.
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