Nigeria Takes Delivery Of 12 Tucano Warplanes In 2020
The United States Government will deliver 12 Tucano A-29 ground attack aircraft to Nigeria in 2020 after the Federal Government concluded payment of about N153 billion ($500 million) in January this year.
A top U.S. government official confirmed this in a chat with journalists in Lagos at the weekend, saying that “the conversation began during the previous administration’ but that the “planes have not been fully built.” According to the official, the warplanes are being assembled and will be delivered from Florida before the end of 2020.
The Nigerian military in response to a query on the matter Sunday also confirmed the arrangement, saying, “It could take more than a year for the jets to be delivered to Nigeria. Fighter jets and aircraft are not picked off the shelf; normally, it is after a contract would have been signed and money released that they start manufacturing the aircraft,” said military spokesman Olatokunbo Adesanya.
“It is unlikely that we would even have them in one year.” Adesanya, an Air Vice Marshal and Director, Public Relations and Information at the Nigeria Armed Forces (NAF) headquarters also confirmed that Nigerian government had made full payment to the United States government for the war jets.
“I cannot really tell you the exact amount paid by the Nigerian government, but the 12 Tucano war planes cost between $400 million and $500 million,” a U.S. official said on Friday.
The Federal government had requested the National Assembly to approve a $1billion loan for anti-terror war.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed was quoted as saying that part of the money was needed to procure military equipment, including purchase of Tucano warplanes.
Defence Minister Mansur Ali few weeks ago reportedly disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved $1billion in new expenditure for arms and other equipment for the country’s security agencies.
Presidential aide Ita Enang subsequently denied that the president ever gave such approval without recourse to the National Assembly. Enang’s rebuttal followed public outrage culminating in Senate President Bukola Saraki saying that senators were angry over the alleged approval.
“Just few days ago, the issue of providing funding for the purchase of security equipment was in the news,’ President of the Senate said at a retreat for lawmakers in Jos on April 7. “In a good environment, such an issue needed to have been discussed with lawmakers.”
Made by Brazil’s Embraer, Tucano A-29 is an agile, propeller-driven plane with reconnaissance, surveillance and attack capabilities.