By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

As controversies continue to trail President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s flight to Paris in the new Airbus A330 purchased by the federal government, Senior Special Assistant( Print Media) to the President, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, has said the plane was not a brand new one but a fairly used one bought through auction by a bank.

He disclosed in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service monitored by our correspondent in Kaduna, that the plane was previously owned by an Arab, before it was bought by the Federal Government.

According to him, the previous plane was dangerous to use and had to make an air return during a flight, with the Vice President on board.

Recall that the decision to purchase the aircraft for President Tinubu was arrived at after an investigative hearing by the National Assembly that questioned the Boeing B737-700’s (BBJ) safety record and cost efficiency.

The new Airbus A330, now replaces the 19-year-old Boeing  B737-700(BBJ) bought under the Presidency of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Abdulaziz explained that the Airbus A330 was bought from funds in the ‘service wide vote’ , a sort of specially kept fund for certain special purposes, and not from the budget.