Nigeria is at risk of losing $493m paid to the United States for the purchase of fighter jets over bad runway, the Senate Committee on Airforce has said.
The Federal Government had wired in $493 million in 2018 to the US company to address the Boko Haram and other security challenges facing the country.
However, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Air Force, Senator Mike Ama Nnachi, raised the alarm while presenting budget report of Air Force before the Senate Committee on Appropriation .
He told the lawmakers that when the Americans came to inspect the Kanji runway, they complained that the Kanji runway does not have capacity to carry the aircraft.
He therefore said there was the need to make provision for additional N9 billion that will take care of the runway and aircraft or else Nigeria will lose the money and the aircraft.
The Vice Chairman said, “It is a very serious issue. They are running around, they have gone to Finance Minister, they have gone to CBN, they have gone to Senate President. The money needed is not part of the main budget.
“Nigeria has already paid $493 million for the aircraft, and the officials of American company who came to Nigeria last week said that the Kanji runway is not capable to carry the fighter jets; that Nigeria will forfeit the aircraft. They mentioned about three countries which had been affected with that.”
In his response, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Jubril Barau assured that its committee will look inward to make fund available to address the issue in the 2021 budget.
