RIYADH (Sundiata Post) – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reportedly arrived in London, England after he attended the World Economic Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which was held from April 28-29.
The President’s journey to London was unexpected, as his media adviser, Ajuri Ngelale, had not mentioned a planned visit to the UK in his previous statement.
“After his engagements in the Netherlands, President Tinubu will proceed to attend a special World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting scheduled for April 28-29 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,” a statement released by Ngelale had read.
Tinubu left Riyadh International Airport at 12:05 am (02:05 am Saudi Arabian time) and arrived at Stansted Airport, London, at 06:35 am UK time.
The presidential aircraft, a Gulfstream Aerospace GV-SP (G550) with registration number 5N-FGW, was used for the 6-hour 30-minute trip.
A senior Nigerian Air Force officer clarified that the aircraft was operated as “Nigerian Air Force 1” during the trip, indicating that the President was on board.
The officer explained that any Nigerian Air Force jet carrying the President is referred to as “Nigerian Air Force 1” to ensure special treatment and avoid confusion with other planes in the area.
This protocol is standard practice for presidential travels, and it highlights the importance of the President’s safety and security.
“Nigerian Air Force 1 isn’t technically the plane, it’s simply the radio call name for any Nigerian Air Force jet carrying the President of Nigeria.
“As soon as the president steps aboard an Air Force jet, either the Boeing Business Jet (Boeing 737-700) 5N-FGT or Gulfstream Aerospace GV-SP (G550) with registration number 5N-FGW or the Falcon 7X jet (5N-FGV), that aircraft is referred to as Nigeria Air Force 1 by the crew and all air traffic controllers, in order to avoid confusion with any other planes in the area and give him special treatment.
“No plane can operate as Nigerian Air Force 1 without the President onboard, it’s an illegal and treason offence. So for it to be operated as NAF 01 to London as you stated clearly showed President Tinubu was onboard.
“If you check the flight history of the current plane in London, you would have realized it was operated recently as Nigerian Air Force 2, meaning that Vice President Shettima was the one onboard,” the senior Nigerian Air Force officer told the platform.
Tinubu’s visit to London comes at a time when Nigerians are struggling with the scarcity of petroleum products, which has caused widespread hardship and darkness for many households and businesses that rely on generators for power supply.
