Nigeria denied weapons to fight terrorists - Lai Mohammed Tucano fighter jets to arrive Nigeria soon - NAF

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, yesterday said Nigeria’s several attempts to acquire sophisticated weapons to fight terrorism were denied.

Mohammed, who addressed reporters in Makurdi after a courtesy visit on Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, was reacting to the killings of rice farmers in Borno State.

The minister was in the state to take ownership of the north central zonal campus of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism in Makurdi from the Benue State Government, on behalf of the Federal Government.

He said the country would remain at the mercy of terrorists without availability of better weapons.

He said: “For instance, Nigeria had made attempts to acquire better and more effective platforms to deal with terrorists and for one reason or the other we have been denied these platforms; these weapons and without adequate platforms, we’ll remain at the mercy of terrorists.

“But you see, you must be able to look at the terrorists; you see terrorists also use media and publicity as oxygen, so, when they go on this kind of mindless killings of innocent persons, it is just that a dying terrorist group will suddenly spring to life. It does not mean that the government is not doing enough. Terrorism in Africa and any other place in the world has the same concept. You have a group of people who are extremists in their thoughts, who don’t believe that we and you should be alive.” Mohammed however said that the federal government would not stop making efforts to protect the lives of Nigerians.

“We’ll never stop protecting lives and livelihood, but you must understand that we’re also dealing with terrorists who are financed globally and we also need more support from global partners,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force yesterday faulted media reports that the subsisting contractual agreement between the Nigerian Government and the United States for the supply of 12 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft was in jeopardy due to “bad runway” at the 407 Air Combat Training Group (407 ACTG), Kainji.

NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, in a statement, said the Vice Chairman Senate Committee on Air Force, Senator

Mike Nnachi, while briefing the Senate Appropriation Committee on the 2021 NAF Budget proposal, was clearly taken out of context.

Nnachi had last Thursday warned that Nigeria stood the risk of losing $493m paid to the US for the purchase of Super Tucano fighter jets due to the nation's runway which at the moment was not up to the standard and could not carry the fighter jets.

But Daramola assured that the jets would land on Nigerian soil as scheduled and in accordance with the terms of the contract, adding that six of the expected 12 aircraft had been produced and were presently being employed for conversion training of six NAF pilots in the US.

“For the avoidance of doubts, it is necessary to state that the

A-29 Super Tucano aircraft project is on track to be delivered on schedule and in accordance with the Terms of the Contract.

“Currently, 6 of the expected 12 aircraft have been produced and are presently being employed for conversion training of 6 NAF pilots who are in the USA, along with 26 NAF engineers, technicians and logisticians, who are also undergoing various trainings on the aircraft as part of the provisions of the Contract.

“Another set of 35 personnel are also scheduled to join them early next year. In addition, a team from the USA is currently in Kainji overseeing the construction of critical infrastructure provided in the Contract ahead of the delivery of the aircraft.

"The NAF is grateful to the United States Government for its support and commitment towards ensuring the success of the Super Tucano project.”