Posted by Mobolaji E. Aluko, PhD on
Boeing Inc, with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, is the largest aircraft manufacturer in the world, followed closely by Airbus of France. It typically takes 2 years to complete one of its aircrafts in the 737 New Generation (NG) series, from order to delivery.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006 INTRODUCTION
Boeing Inc, with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, is the largest aircraft manufacturer in the world, followed closely by Airbus of France. It typically takes 2 years to complete one of its aircrafts in the 737 New Generation (NG) series, from order to delivery.
One of such aircrafts being contemplated to be built was given the Construction Number 34260 in 2002 or 2003 by Boeing following an order by some "mysterious customer" - even though that did not mean that it would be built. However this particular one - a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) was built - the 1746th 737-NG plane ever actually built. [A total of 5097 737s have ever been built, as of June 17, 2006.]
According to a Boeing press release, the BBJ is a high-performance derivative of the commercially popular Next-Generation 737-700 and provides unsurpassed levels of space, comfort and utility, with a cabin offering 807 square feet (75 square meters) of space, nearly three times the interior space of competing models with similar range capability. There are currently 84 of such planes in service around the world - these include 10 BBJ2s which are based on 737-800 and which offer 25 percent more cabin space and twice as much cargo capacity as the standard BBJ. All BBJs are manufactured at the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group manufacturing facilities at Renton in Washington State, USA.
In any case, this particular BBJ 737-700 plane that we are interested in took its first flight ever on June 29, 2005, with a Boeing manufacturer "dealer plate" Registration number N1786B. Having passed that test flight in flying colors, it was given a substantive Registration number N1781B. It was then entered in the log books as signed, sealed and delivered by Boeing on July 5, 2005. At this time, the designation of the plane as a Boeing "type 7N6" was a code-word that it was a Boeing 727-700 meant for the Government of Nigeria ("7N6" is used for Nigerian government as operator.)
On July 14, 2005, it actually became the joint property of BBJ and the Government of Nigeria, and it was "re-registered" with the new registration number 5N-FGT. The following day, it was freight-forwarded to Newcastle County Airport (ICAO code KILG) in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. Still not completely satisfied with the thrust and fuel range of the standard BBJ, the Nigerian government asked for and got at least three and possibly seven auxiliary fuel tanks installed on this its spankingly new 737-7N6 plane, registration number 5N-FGT. This was achieved at the PATS Aircraft, LLC facility in Georgetown, Delaware. This enhancement was completed on August 31, 2005.
How did I get all the information that I gave above about this plane? Simply by using Google search on the Internet ! The reader is invited to try it himself or herself. I did not speak to a single soul!
And I stand to be corrected.
"TOKUNBOH PLANE" ALLEGATION - AND SEDITION KE ?
We were not to read about this plane again until
- it was allegedly physically delivered in Nigeria on or around May 7, 2006 - almost a year after last re-fitting by PATS;
- it developed an engine problem on May 16, 2006, and had a make an emergency landing at the namdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja a few minutes after take-off with President Olusegun Obasanjo and some of his aides and top government officials on board, all enroute to Paris, France. The new plane had only the week before returned from a trip to Indonesia and Kampala where President Obasanjo had gone to attend the D-8 meeting and the swearing-in of President Yoweri Museveni for a third term.
- A newspaper reporter (Rotimi Durojaiye, Daily Independent) reported on June 12 in an article titled ""Controversy over age, cost of presidential jet" (see below) a speculation that the plane was a five-year-old retrofit bought from abroad and previously owned by Lufthansa - a "Tokunboh" in Nigerian parlance, which in Yoruba literally means "arrival via overseas route.". This report was then the subject of a TV program (Focus Nigeria; anchored by Mr. Gbenga Aruleba) on African Independent Television AIT on June 13.
- June 14, Aruleba were arrested by Nigeria's SSS, and held in detention before being released the following day. He was asked to report back on a daily basis.
- June 26, Aruleba was re-arrested - this time with Durojaiye also arrested;
- on June 27, they, along with their publishers and employers [the Africa Independent Television and the Daily Independent Newspapers Limited] were arraigned for sedition. The six-count charge sheet said their showed "intent to bring into hatred or contempt or excite disaffection against the person of the President or the Government of the Federation".
And that is where we are now.
These arrests on such a speculation is an atrocious attack on the Press and Media in Nigeria in a manner reminiscent of the dictatorial Abacha days, and an affront to the people of Nigeria to who the press owes an obligation to play a watch-dog role without caring whose ox is gored.
Let us come to the issue of malice and sedition.
Could Durojaiye have missed the correct information? Certainly, since he is human - but he could have missed it without malice against the Nigerian government. In fact, he might have been looking for information about a standard 737-800 plane - maybe due to wrong information by the Nigerian government itself - but saw no Nigerian government plane listed in the relevant database, while in fact the plane that was purchased was a 737-700 BBJ.
Is there a Lufthansa connection ANYWHERE? Yes, a BBJ plane with Construction number 30752 - the 451 st 737 plane ever built , an 737-7CN/W with test number N1786B (first flown December 8, 1999), registration number N1026G, later re-registered as HB-IIQ - is shown in the accessed database as being operated (as of June 2002) by BBJ/Privatair/Lufthansa. The close association of Nigerian government with Lufthansa (Germany) in the past might have led to the present speculation that that was the same plane.
The point here is that the Lufthansa connection was not a WILD claim, even if it was an incorrect one.
A THIN-SKINNED GOVERNMENT WITH "BAD BELLE"
So, instead of the government charging the newspaper author Durojaiye for publishing the speculation, and Aruleba for discussing it on TV, why did it not just tender all the Boeing information to assert that the plane is indeed new? Should incomplete or speculative information about a plane be equated to sedition?
Absolutely not!
The arrest of Aruleba - for discussing a newspaper report on TV - is even more ridiculous, and both of the arrests must stem from "bad belle" (malice) over AIT and the general Nigerian media's very laudable and leading role in the demise of the Third-Term agenda (TTA).
EPILOGUE
Some legal eagles of Nigeria - for example Gani Fawehinmi, Femi Falana and others - have stated that the law about sedition in Nigeria is a dead law, and was brought over in the first instance by the colonial masters. This writer believes that it should stay dead. Hence Aruleba and Durojaiye should be released to their families and their employers without further delay.
Finally, for the rest of the one year left for the Obasanjo regime, it should not do anything further to heat up our polity unnecessarily: The First Estate of the Realm should leave the Fourth Estate alone.
I rest my case.
THE "SEDITIOUS" (?) ARTICLE
Daily Independent
Controversy Over Age, Cost Of Presidential Jet
12th June 2006
• Five Years Old, Acquired From Lufthansa • Bought With Funds From External Reserves • NAF, Civil Pilots Fight For Control
How was the new Presidential Jet, a Boeing 737-800, bought? Did it follow due process? What is the cost? Is the air plane new or a refurbished one?
These are the questions tax payers are asking on the aircraft delivered on May 6.
Barely three weeks after the purchase, it developed technical faults midair. What is its airworthiness status?
It was on a flight to France on the day, with President Olusegun Obasanjo on board, when it lost cabin pressure 15 minutes after take off, forcing it to return to base.
On landing, it lost all electrical appliances. Efforts to restore its ventilation failed, and oxygen masks were released. The President had to make the journey in a smaller aircraft.
Although the government is yet to state its official price and age, media speculation is that it cost $72 million (N9.3 billion) and that it is as a new one.
However, Boeing website showed that Nigeria has never placed an order for a Boeing 737-800 since it was launched on September 5, 1994 at the Farnborough Air Show.
As of last December, the manufacturers had orders for 1,258 from 54 customers. They have delivered only 869.
Investigation revealed that the aircraft is five years old and was acquired from Lufthansa Airlines.
After the purchase, sources said, it was taken to the Boeing factory in America for re-configuration.
Two officials of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) were detailed last year, as required by the civil aviation laws, to travel abroad and re-certify the aircraft.
They are Olusiji Oluwole, former General Manager, Airworthiness Standards and Tosin Adedoyin, Deputy General Manager, Airworthiness Standards.
Oluwole was disengaged from the NCAA in December last year and is now the Quality Assurance Manager of Chanchangi Airlines.
He and Adedoyin were trained for two weeks at the Boeing factory on how to operate the jet.
Presidential Assistant on Aviation, Sheu Iyal and her Media counterpart, Oluremi Oyo, avoided answering questions on the price and age of the aircraft last week.
Iyal said he was not involved in the transaction, Oyo's alibi is that she is not an expert.
"I am not the Presidential spokesperson and I was not involved in the transactions. But I can tell you that everything about the aircraft is new", Iyal stated in Lagos.
Asked if it was purchased directly from Boeing, he replied in the affirmative.
Oyo said in a telephone interview from Abuja: "You have just referred to the plane as a new one. I may not be able to answer your questions because I am not an expert on aviation matters".
The technical faults in the aircraft may not be caused by age, but could be the result of the inexperience of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) pilots.
Sources said there was misunderstanding among members of the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF) made up of the NAF and civil pilots.
The civil pilots, former workers of liquidated Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL), are sidelined by the NAF pilots over control of the aircraft.
One of the sources insisted that "the civil pilots are trained on Boeing aircraft but the NAF pilots are inexperienced in that area. They are trained on fighter jets and other aircraft models. The NAF pilots have sidelined the civil pilots on the operations of the aircraft. That was what was responsible for the technical hitches experienced recently".
He stressed that in order to update the knowledge of the NAF pilots on Boeing operations, they have embarked on simulation training at the NAF base in Makurdi.
A Boeing 737-800 costs between $63.5 million and $72 million from the factory.
Aviation experts believe that the price of the Presidential jet would have been inflated since there is no evidence that it is new.
Buying a new plane for the President had been thrown out in several budgets in the past at the National Assembly.
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Farouk Lawan, said money was appropriated in the 2004 budget for a new jet, but he could not remember how much.
He confirmed, however, that after the controversy that greeted the request in the 2001 and 2002 budgets, "it came up again in 2003 and 2004 and money was appropriated by the House in 2004".
An aviation expert, who does not want his name in print, said the government may have used agents to buy the aircraft ahead of a constitutional approval.
"Since it would be unconstitutional to make the purchase without a budgetary approval, they must have used agents to make the purchase".
Asked how long it would take to place order for a new aircraft, he said it depends on the type of the plane, the time of year, the number of purchase and the configuration of the aircraft.
It could take between two and six years to get one from the factory, he explained.
Another source said the plane must have been purchased from the illegal withdrawals from the excess crude oil accounts.
The jet is designed for maximum comfort for the President who can function from it as though in the Villa. It is equipped with office and accommodation facilities.
It is the type that takes care of the need of global leaders who need to fly farther in comfort, be productive en route and reach business destinations in tip top condition.
It has three times the interior space of the competition at a comparable price and a range of more than 6,000 nautical miles, setting new standards in space, comfort, utility and support.
The plane can fly 14 hours non-stop; meaning that Obasanjo can travel straight from Abuja to Washington.
It has capacity for about 30 passengers.
"The plane ensures that you can maintain personal productivity even when flying 14 hours non-stop", said the manufacturers. "Comfort such as a spacious executive suite with queen size bed that allows you to get a goodnight's sleep.
"A dinning area is perfect for conferences or gracious meals, private offices ideal for serious work or quiet reflection. With all the amenities of home and office, you can meet, eat, sleep and dine in comfort and are sure to arrive at your destination refreshed and ready for the business day".
The Boeing 737 series, first produced in 1965, is the highest selling commercial aircraft in aviation history with more than 5,900 orders from 225 customers.
About 1,250 of it are in the air at any time. One takes off somewhere in the world every five seconds.
The model has flown about 296 million hours in revenue service, travelling 75 billion nautical million miles.
It has carried about 12 billion passengers.
Vanguard
May 17, 2006
Obasanjo, aides escape death in new presidential plane
ABUJA - THE newly acquired N9 billion Presidential jet yesterday made an emergency landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja a few minutes after take-off with President Olusegun Obasanjo and some of his aides and top government officials on board. The Boeing Business Jet 737-800 was taking the President to Paris, France.
By Charles Ozoemana
Posted to the Web: Wednesday, May 17, 2006
The new plane had only last week returned from a trip to Indonesia and Kampala where President Obasanjo had gone to attend the D-8 meeting and the swearing-in of President Yoweri Museveni for a third term.
The jet had loss of Cabin Pressure after only 15 minutes of take-off at about 2 a.m. Although the pilot was said to have attempted to manage the situation by releasing oxygen masks for the president and all those on board, the heat inside the aircraft was said to have become unbearable, forcing the pilot to return quickly to base for an emergency landing at the Presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
The aircraft was making its second international sortie after its delivery to the presidential air fleet a week ago. Senior Special Assistant to President Obasanjo on Media, Mrs Oluremi Oyo, confirmed the problem developed by the aircraft. Determined for the journey, President Obasanjo dropped majority of his delegation and used a smaller aircraft to embark on his journey to Paris.
The Presidential spokesperson clarified that President Obasanjo was in Paris, France to attend the UNESCO presentation ceremony of the Houphouet Boigny Prize for the Search of Peace.
The ceremony was attended by other Presidents, including those of Senegal, Tanzania, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Comoros, Madagascar, Niger, Equatorial Guinea and France.
"President Obasanjo's journey from Abuja was delayed early yesterday because of a technical problem in the aircraft. This caused a change of aircraft which later conveyed the President and his entourage to the French capital," the statement explained.
On the emergency landing, a source at the Airport confirmed that the aircraft developed yet another problem with the electrical system collapsing. The condition of the aircraft was said to have generated a lot of panic and anxiety among the passengers who were mainly Presidential aides, security operatives and journalists. No minister was aboard the flight.
The aircraft was later towed back to the Presidential hanger.
Obasanjo restates commitment to democracy
Meanwhile, President Obasanjo, yesterday in Paris, France assured the international community of the determination of the present generation of African leaders to entrench democracy and good governance on the continent.
"On our side, we can assure you of our unmediated commitment to moving Africa away from the past towards a new dawn of unity, harmony, love, tolerance, dialogue and democratic politics," President Obasanjo said in his statement at the presentation of the 2005 Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize to President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal.
May 08, 2006
Obasanjo arrives Lagos with new controversial aircraft
A brand new jet costing billions of Naira took president Obasanjo to Lagos yesterday.
From Shakirat Abdulmajeed
The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 is painted in the country's colour, green and white with a seal of the Federal Government on the side. The plane, one of the most popular commercial jets cost N 9 Billion. In commercial use it can carry as many as 200 passengers.
The aircraft can fly to European cities or the American Capital without stopping for fuel. It can fly Nigeria to London, or from Daka, Senegal, to New York without re-fuelling, according to the former Commander of the presidential fleet of aircraft, Captain Dele Ore.
The eight hour flight time might not however make it to China without a break.
Shortly after the aircraft touched down at the Presidential wing of the airport, a Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) inspector wearing a reflective jacket came in to do some inspection on the aircraft.
The new aircraft was a subject of controversy when the idea to buy a new jet was first mooted in year 2001.
The then President of the senate , late Doctor Chuba Okadigbo and members had turned down the request to buy a new Presidential jet arguing that there were other pressing needs that the Country should pre occupied than buying a jet.
Aviation Analysts also argued then that the B727 used by the President has been hush -kitted in 2001 to meet Europe noise level system.
-BOTTOM: medium none">The jet is the same model involved in the Bellview air crash in October 2005 which killed all 117 passengers on board when the plane went down just after takeoff in Lagos.