NewStats: 3,262,160 , 8,176,289 topics. Date: Sunday, 01 June 2025 at 05:05 AM 6fab

By Nuruddeen M. Abdallah & Ronald Mutum


Nigeria will not accept the stringent conditions given by the United States on the planned purchase of 12 Tucano fighter jets, Minister of Defence Mansur Dan-Ali has said.

The minister said the security council has approved the purchase of the $494 million 12 A-29 Super Tucano fighter crafts, but “some of the conditions America gave us are stringent. These conditions we will not accept.”

One of the conditions is that the sale will not be made till 2020, the minister said. He said other conditions included that Nigerian technicians would not be trained by US staff, or be part of the maintenance crews.

“They are also thinking of not allowing our technicians to be part of the production inspection,” he said.

“But this is what we normally do in all the defence contracts, we send our personnel to go and understudy, especially when it comes to specialized aircrafts like in Russia, our personnel are permanently based in where the production is being done for this MI35 helicopters,” Dan-Ali told reporters at the State House, Abuja.

The aircraft purchase has been mired in controversy since President Barack Obama’s istration. Under Obama, the aircraft deal had been held off due to concerns about the Nigerian military’s human rights abuses.

The deal was further postponed recently when 170 people died last January after Nigerian Airforce bombed a refugee camp in Rann, Borno state.

Dan-Ali said the federal government was planning to meet with the US ambassador to discuss reducing the conditions.
“Payments will be made when the conditions are reduced,” the defence minister said.

The Nigerian Airforce had earlier scheduled February 20 for the final agreements to be signed and initial payments made.

Concern over cost of planes
Daily Trust has been on the story for weeks over the huge cost of the Tucano planes since the deal was announced.

The Minister of Information Lai Mohammed earlier said in a statement that the 12 aircraft, with weapons and services, would cost $593 million. But the defence minister yesterday gave the cost at $494m, about $100m less the cost announced by the government spokesperson.

A cost analysis by this newspaper has shown that the government-declared cost is almost three times the cost of the planes in the international market.

Findings revealed that a Super Tucano costs more than $10 million each and the price can go up to $15 million apiece depending on the configuration.

Going by Dan-Ali’s cost, Nigeria is purchasing each of the plane at about $41 million.

The propeller-driven plane with reconnaissance, surveillance and attack capabilities, is made by Brazil’s Embraer. A second production line is in Florida, in a partnership between Embraer and privately held Sierra Nevada Corp of Sparks, Nevada.

More than 200 Super Tucanos are operated by 10 nations, according to Embraer. The plane is used for training and security, surveillance, reconnaissance and counter-insurgency missions.

The plane can carry a wide array of armaments, including precision-guided munitions, is equipped with advanced avionics, communications, and sensors and can operate from remote, unpaved airstrips.

It has a maximum speed of 590 km per hour (367 mph) and a flight ceiling of 35,000 feet (6.6 miles).


Experts smell underhand deal

Security experts and defence contractors spoke to our reporters.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a retired senior air force officer conversant with the deal said the high cost was arrived “most likely through intermediaries in which case 95 percent of the deal is backed by corrupt practices which makes it so expensive.”

He said, “everybody involved wants to make extra cash, the manufacturer, the intermediate and the end .”

The security chief fingered some senior government officials in the deal. He said a senior security official had “wanted to stop the deal but due to the non-assertiveness of that security official, another official went ahead with the deal.”

“I think what the NAF signed with the Defence Attache of US was the approval of the US Government to supply the toys. I called them toys because they are basically training aircrafts and not effective in combat missions,” he said.

Another defence contractor also said the high cost might be the handiwork of intermediaries. He said the cost of the planes is determined by the source of procurement, mode of payments, among others.

“US and EU companies won’t accept any price above their reasonable profit margin. This is because of the stringent oversight by their home government agencies who audit their books,” he said.

But in the case of Nigeria’s purchase, “the high cost must have been borne out by the actions of intermediaries. The money might be paid through offshore s in some islands. But the EU and US companies are very careful in accepting anything above their ideal profit margin,” the defence contractor said.


No full cost of jets yet - Airforce

For over two weeks, Daily Trust sought explanations on the list of the added components that forced the cost to be so high.

The information ministry, when ed, referred our reporter to defence ministry for details of the deal. But the spokesperson of defence minister Colonel Tukur Gusau yesterday said he didn’t have the details of the deal.

“I need time to consult the relevant stakeholders to obtain the details,” Gusau told our reporter by telephone last night.

The spokesperson of the US embassy in Abuja Mr Russell Brooks was also not available for comment yesterday.

But the spokesperson of the Nigerian Air Force Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya said he would reveal details of the full cost at the right time.

He said apart from just the purchase of the aircraft, details of the transaction would include spares for the jets, training of pilots, training of maintenance crew and ammunition.

He said there would need to put an adequate infrastructure in place for the maintenance of the fighter jets.

https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/fg-rejects-us-conditions-on-sale-of-fighter-jets.html

Make Una build Una own na. Na Just to de buy..?

Truly stringent conditions. The money may serve a better use in buying plenty J 17s boku for our airforce.

The F16 Falcon cost 18 million dollars per unit yet the Nigerian govt wants to buy archaic propeller driven plane for 41 million dollars each ..I beg the senate to halt that deal as it is filled with intense corruption

Why are you guys complaining already? Didn't you pay to acquire the machine? Or the money also includes production training?

BTW, 2020 is a good decision because I'm pretty sure that the US government is aware of the recent crisis going on in Nigeria because releasing the jet now may lead to another Civil War under this present istration.

SalamRushdie:
The F16 Falcon cost 18 million dollars per unit yet the Nigerian govt wants to buy archaic propeller driven plane for 41 million dollars each ..I beg the senate to halt that deal as it is filled with intense corruption

Someone somewhere is hellbent on making billions from the deal, hence the desperation to push through

This is what Nigeria is planning to use in 2020 with money that can buy modern fighter jets

AnodaIT:

Someone somewhere is hellbent on making billions from the deal, hence the desperation to push through

I swear over 250 million will be made illegally from such a deal

usba:
Truly stringent conditions. The money may serve a better use in buying plenty J 17s boku for our airforce.

Which J17 when the Russian mig 29 cost 12 million dollars per unit , the Russian SU-27 flanker cost 22 million dollars per unit and the Russian SU 30 Super flanker C cost 37.5 million dollars and they are available why should Nigeria be buying a propeller driven plane with a top speed of a fast car at 41 million dollars a piece or even that chinese widow factory called J17

SalamRushdie:
The F16 Falcon cost 18 million dollars per unit yet the Nigerian govt wants to buy archaic propeller driven plane for 41 million dollars each ..I beg the senate to halt that deal as it is filled with intense corruption

US won't sell the F16 to us, even if they we will get a basic model, the tucano on the other hand is better suited to counter insurgency with a huge panoply of weapons both guided and unguided for Close Air .
Slow speed, huge loiter time against fast jets who whose impacts are too rapid with a huge cost of run. Nigeria is going for what suits her current needs.

Kalapizim:
US won't sell the F16 to us, even if they we will get a basic model, the tucano on the other hand is better suited to counter insurgency with a huge panoply of weapons both guided and unguided for Close Air .
Slow speed, huge loiter time against fast jets who whose impacts are too rapid with a huge cost of run. Nigeria is going for what suits her current needs.

My grouse is not the suitability of the aircraft because trust me I know what turbo props can do but the cost differential is too much no matter what configuration we are ordering

Lies
Donald Trump has refused to arm a jihadist as advised by the Israelis

Nigerians, don't let the Caliphate deceive you.
Donald Trump is no longer comfortable with Buhari's jihadist government.

You are jumping from one country to another when you have Igbos who can build these things for you. This is not about Igbos being more educated or gifted, no, you have to understand the meaning of "Ndigbo or Ndi Gbo" which means "Ancient people". Many Igbos don't know know the meaning of their name to tell you how lost they are. Meaning, Igbo have built these things before in the former lives or civilizations, and this knowledge are just being reincarnated back into the new generations via DNA. Go and read books by Dr. Catherine Acholonu "They Lived Before Adam" and "Igbo Traditions Reveal Ancient Genetic Engineering."

These are powerful books, very deep and that will make you look carefully at Igbo people and why they are intentionally being repressed by the global powers...these people have documents on who the Igbos are. Igbos are alien to Africa, they migrated from the jewish land to Nigeria. This is why Igbos naturally are good at traveling and migrating to places and adapting faster than other groups simply because these things are in their DNA...THEIR FOREFATHERS DID IT, THESE THINGS STAY WITH YOU FOR EVER! Finally Randall Robinson said "when you die, you don't go anywhere, you stay in the family." meaning, you reincarnate back into a baby born in the family. Which means, whatever you did while alive will be ed on to that new child. Same thing is happening to the Igbos.

lol...

it is not good to castigate a person when you have no idea what challenges that person faces just to survive...


when GEJ was running helter skelter to buy weapons to confront BH, they called him clueless...

now they see that it is not easy to buy weapons that would be supplied immediately as needed... to get those, you must cut deals... in the arms black market...


a nation's military might must never be fully revealed. aside the budget for defence, there are 'black budgets' when funds can be gotten to QUICKLY purchase certain weapons that are needed urgently & to hide such purchases from both friends & foes (in matters of international security, every nation is a friend & enemy at the same time)...

UncleJudax:
Make Una build Una own na. Na Just to de buy..?

It was not called a sh!thole for nothing

[s]

SalamRushdie:


Which J17 when the Russian mig 29 cost 12 million dollars per unit , the Russian SU-27 flanker cost 22 million dollars per unit and the Russian SU 30 Super flanker C cost 37.5 million dollars and they are available why should Nigeria be buying a propeller driven plane with a top speed of a fast car at 41 million dollars a piece or even that chinese widow factory called J17

[/s]

You have left oil and gas to defense?

usba:
[s][/s]

You have left oil and gas to defense?

It's not my fault that I am genius

Kalapizim:
US won't sell the F16 to us, even if they we will get a basic model, the tucano on the other hand is better suited to counter insurgency with a huge panoply of weapons both guided and unguided for Close Air .
Slow speed, huge loiter time against fast jets who whose impacts are too rapid with a huge cost of run. Nigeria is going for what suits her current needs.

You go mind am, person wey no know him left for right just dey share the mumu wey he pack from him "oil and gas" days

SalamRushdie:


It's not my fault that I am genius

it is Buhari's fault

usba:


it is Buhari's fault

Me she I know you won't vote Buhari despite all your gra gra online ..Bro we are all tired of the man just it it

any development to frustrate this dullard Islamic jihadist is welcomed.

indeed US sees the world

Excuse and blame government. GEJ never gave us any excuse but opted to buy from black market to serve immediate needs but the efforts were frustrated and sabotaged by you guys.

You guys really dont know the USA. They tell you trash and expect you to use your brain and decode. With reports of Buhari s killer fulani herdsmen and accusation of bombing those defending themselves, USA wont be comfy selling him even daggar. They actually was kind enough to tell GEJ some truth.

USA that can over tax their people just to fight terrorism in another country refusing what will crush ISIS trained boko haram insurgents.


The solution is simple. Show them you a Nigerian president not the president of the Fulanis cos i pity any Northerner who is not a Fulani but s Buhari.

Besides... Please... That amount is funny on that plane..

SalamRushdie:


Me she I know you won't vote Buhari despite all your gra gra online ..Bro we are all tired of the man just it it

I will vote him well well, no worry by may when Nigeria greatness hits high notes, you will the PMB train

SalamRushdie:
The F16 Falcon cost 18 million dollars per unit yet the Nigerian govt wants to buy archaic propeller driven plane for 41 million dollars each ..I beg the senate to halt that deal as it is filled with intense corruption

If the US is giving us this kind of grief over the purchase of a few propeller driven birds, do you think they will be willing to sell us any jet propelled fighters even if we are willing to pay double the market price?

However, I agree with you that the prices of these Super Tucanos are grossly inflated even if one works in the cost of training, spare parts and munitions.

Summary:

One of the conditions is that the sale will not be made till 2020 or until the present jihadist and terrorist in government depart the aso-rock.

Other conditions included that Nigerian technicians would not be trained by US staff, or be part of the maintenance crews because they are already compromised by the durlard-in-chief.


Buhary pack & go.

I was an advocate of NAF buying Super Tucano because it was simply the best COIN and CAS aircraft in the world. I was even ready to overlook the stupidly exorbitant price tag.
However, it is now obvious that USA just want to ridicule Nigeria with this crazy deal.
They don't want Nigerians to inspect the building of the aircraft.
They don't want us to maintain them ourselves in case they get faulty.
And we have to wait till 2020 before we start taking delivery. WTH!

12 od those piece of trash for $494million?.. What's going on here?

money wey dem for invest for power sector...when ur mother ask u about price of a particular phone and the real amount is N30k and you tell her is N60K.

matters arising

Senate should as a matter of urgency halt the buying of these archaic planes.

We can't be buying a Peugeot 404 pickup at a higher cost when Toyota Hilux is cheaper and more modern.

Someone wants to make heavy money shaa.

RemedyLab:

DaBillionnaire:
o

Firefire:

lonelydora:
ok

obailala:
12

Firefire:

how market?