During a recent Senate session, Senator Abdul Ningi from Bauchi raised serious concerns about Nigeria’s security challenges and questioned the government’s use of military equipment, specifically the Tucano fighter jets.
In a video that was shared by Voice TV, Senator Ningi reminded the Senate President about a past statement where he said that if security was the only achievement of the National Assembly, that would be enough. But two years later, Ningi asked what progress had really been made. He pointed out that the Senate had not seriously questioned or followed up with important security agencies like the Defence, Navy, Air Force, and Police committees.
He then focused on the Tucano fighter jets, which were purchased with a borrowed sum of over $1 billion. During the screening of the service chiefs, the Chief of Air Staff was asked where the Tucano jets were. “If you recall, when we screened the service Chiefs, we raised a question to the Chief of Air Staff, where are our Tucano aircraft fighter Jets. And you also recall this Tucano Fighter jets were purchased for not less than $1 billion borrowed,” he said.
The Chief responded that although the jets are in Nigeria, they can’t be used as expected because of a contract Nigeria signed when purchasing them. This contract, according to the Chief, limits how the jets can be operated.
Senator Ningi expressed frustration over this, asking why the jets were bought in the first place if they had usage limitations. He demanded answers about who approved and signed the contract, who handled the purchase, and where the jets are now.
He also stressed how serious the security situation is, with Nigerian soldiers being lost daily to insurgents, and questioned whether the government is truly doing enough to protect its citizens.
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