$493 Million dollar fighter jet payment maybe forfeited by FG.

The Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Air Force, Senator Mike Nnachi, raised the alarm while presenting the 2021 budget report of the Air Force before the Senate Committee on Appropriation.

He told the lawmakers that when the Americans came to inspect the Kanji runway recently, they complained that the facility did not have the capacity to carry the aircraft.

He said there was, therefore, a need to make provision for additional N9bn that would take care of the runway and the aircraft; else Nigeria would lose the money.

Nnachi said, “It is a very serious issue. The Air Force personnel are running around; they have gone to the Finance Minister; they have also gone to the Central Bank of Nigeria, and they have gone to meet the Senate President because the money needed was not part of the main budget.

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“Nigeria has already paid $493m for the aircraft, and the officials of the American company, who came to Nigeria last week, said the Kanji runway is not capable of carrying those fighter jets.

“The company said Nigeria will forfeit the aircraft and they said about three countries had already been affected with that.”

The Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation, Senator Barau Jibrin, said his committee would look inwards to make funds available to address the issue in the 2021 budget