U.S firm withdraws Nigeria’s presidential Boeing from sale

Friday, December 5, 2025 - The marketing firm overseeing the sale of Nigeria’s presidential Boeing 737-700 Business Jet has withdrawn the aircraft’s listing, raising fresh questions about the status of the planned sale.

The jet, previously advertised on the website of JetHQ, is no longer visible on the listing page. In an email response to Punch newspaper, JetHQ’s Manager of Market Research, Laurie Barringer, confirmed the removal and said the firm was no longer handling the aircraft.

“Thank you for your email. We no longer have the listing on the Boeing. You will need to reach out to the Nigerian Government for information as to what has become of the aircraft. I appreciate your time, Laurie Barringer, Manager of Market Research, JetHQ,” she wrote.

The media aide to the National Security Adviser, Ismail Garba, had earlier promised to respond to inquiries on the matter but had yet to do so several days later.

The development follows an October 2025 report by The PUNCH indicating that the aircraft, listed by the Federal Government in July 2025, remained unsold nearly four months after being uploaded on the international aircraft sales platform.

At the time, email exchanges between the newspaper and JetHQ suggested the jet was still available. JetHQ’s Market Research Assistant, Marinell Nuevo, stated that the aircraft “remains available” but referred further questions to Barringer.

Barringer later maintained that the company would not disclose detailed information about the jet beyond confirming its availability at the time, saying such details were restricted.

“We do not provide this kind of information to anyone but the direct owner of the aircraft. This is considered proprietary information. I hope you can understand.

“The only data that we can provide you is that the aircraft remains available for sale,” she added then.

Before its eventual delisting, records showed the presidential jet underwent partial refurbishment and technical inspections at AMAC’s Basel facility in July 2024. The work included first-class seat refurbishment, replacement of cabin carpeting, and major C1–C2 inspections.

According to aircraftcostcalculator.com, a pre-owned Boeing 737 BBJ has an average market value of about $56 million, depending on maintenance history and configuration.

Nigeria purchased the aircraft in 2005 for $43 million under then, President Olusegun Obasanjo, and it has been a key part of the Presidential Air Fleet for nearly two decades.

The Tinubu administration announced plans in July 2025 to sell the jet as part of a broader cost-cutting and fleet rationalization effort amid rising public concerns over government expenditure.