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US to Deliver Fighter Aircraft to Nigeria Soon- General
Farrell
The United States Department of Defence (US DOD) has assured the
Nigerian Air Force (NAF) of its readiness to channel all efforts
towards on-schedule delivery of the 12 units of A-29 Super Tucano
aircraft, which were recently paid for by the Federal Government of
Nigeria (FGN).
This assurance was given by the Director of the United States
Air Force Security Assistance and Cooperation (AFSAC) Directorate,
Brigadier General Sean Farrell, during a meeting between
representatives of the US DOD and the NAF, held at the Headquarters
NAF in Abuja.
General Farrell, who is one of the senior officers from US DOD
overseeing the ongoing process of the procurement of the A-29
Supper Tucano aircraft, mentioned that he and members of his team
were in Nigeria to discuss the delivery schedule of the aircraft as
well as the construction effort at NAF Base where the aircraft
would be stationed. He expressed the readiness of his team to
complete the execution of the contract in record time while noting
that the visit to the Base would provide the team with firsthand
knowledge of the construction site as well as help avoid delays in
schedule and risks in the future. He added that the AFSAC is
committed to assisting the NAF to deliver air power capability
expeditiously in order to add value to what the Service is already
doing in the Counter Insurgency (COIN) operations in the the
Northeastern part of Nigeria.
In his remarks, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal
Sadique Abubakar, applauded the US Government for the support it
has rendered to the NAF over the years, which, he noted, had been
instrumental in ensuring success in the COIN operations in the
Northeast, despite recent setbacks.
He said it had also enabled the NAF to project air power within
the West African Sub-Region, such as the deployment of NAF aircraft
to the Gambia in 2017 which facilitated the peaceful transition of
power in that country thereby ensuring the sustenance of democracy.
He reiterated that the Boko Haram menace was not a local problem
but a global one, because the consequences of not adequately
dealing with the threat would not only impact on Nigeria and the
West African Sub-Region but also on other parts of Africa and the
rest of the world. This, he noted, underscored the need for
international collaboration and cooperation to adequately and
decisively deal with the threat.
Speaking further, Air Marshal Abubakar noted that the defeat of
ISIS in Syria and Iraq has had the unfortunate effect of
exacerbating the problem in Nigeria with transfer of fighters and
equipment into and around the West African Sub-Region, thereby
emboldening the terrorist group who now have more sophisticated
weapons and equipment. He stressed that the induction of the A-29
would, greatly enhance NAF’s capability to more effectively
prosecute the war against insurgency in the Northeast. He therefore
urged the AFSAC team to do all within its power to ensure that at
least 2 of the aircraft are delivered to Nigeria even before the
new delivery date of 2021. The CAS also used the opportunity to
thank the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria,
President Muhammadu Buhari, and the National Assembly for granting
the approvals that had enabled the acquisition of the 12
aircraft.
IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force