Corruption, Human Rights Abuse, and unabated killings in Nigeria under President Mohammadu Buhari may jeopardize the 2022 delivery date of the 12 Tucano Military Aircraft worth $329million and several loan requests as the United States Government considers a major scaling down of aids and Military supports to Nigeria, sources knowledgeable about the development told Pointblanknews.com.
Sources in both Washington DC and Nigeria confirmed to Pointblanknews.com that already, the World Bank and the International Monetary Funds, IMF, have been told by the U.S authorities to scale down on loans to Nigeria following confirmed reports of massive corruption under the Buhari’s Government.
Also, the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, and all other U.S donor agencies have been directed by the President Donald Trump administration to cut down or outrightly suspend further aids to Nigeria.
Sources told Pointblanknews.com that loan requests from Nigerian currently pending in IMF and the World Bank are being reconsidered and may all be rejected by the international lenders.
Reuters News Agency had reported that the World Bank is unlikely to approve a much needed $1.5 billion for Nigeria in August as planned due to concerns over desired reforms, quoting a source saying, “they are not convinced about the reforms,” a source close to the government said.
Boko Haram insurgency has intensified in North-east despite claims by the Nigerian government that the sect has been “technically defeated”.
Also, while bandits, who emerged shortly after the emergence of the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration have killed hundreds and sacked villages in the North-west, killings by Fulani herdsmen across the country, have increased with little or no arrests made by the authorities.
Concerns over the wanton killings in the country came to a head after the recent massacre of Nigerians in Southern Kaduna, prompting a presidential candidate in 2019 election, Obadiah Mailafia to accuse a Northern Governor of being a leader of Boko Haram just as he accused the Buhari administration of complicity in the ongoing killings across the country.
However, Nigeria’s minister of information, Lai Mohammed had recently alleged that some world powers have refused to sell to Nigeria weapons needed to fight insurgency in the country.
Although the minister who made the comment when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria Forum in Abuja, didn’t reveal the name of the alleged world powers, said, “I want to use this opportunity to say that the international community can help us better than they are doing right now. To fight terrorists, we need platforms and weapons,”
Mohammed added, “When the international community is weighed by unsubstantiated arguments to deny the country of vital platforms and weapons to fight insecurity, you cannot turn around to accuse the country of not fighting terrorism.
“For more than two to three years now, we have paid for certain vital weapons that they have not released to us and they even refused to give us spare parts.
“I think our appeal to them is that they should please help Nigeria to provide us with these sensitive platforms so that we can fight insecurity more effectively,” he added.
But worried by the killings, especially of Christians in the country under the watch of Buhari’s administration, Pointblanknews.com learned that the US government has suspended further sales of arms to Nigeria.
A US source told pointblanknews.com that “the U.S is threatening to cancel the contract of the 12 Tucano aircraft Nigeria ordered for which is expected to be ready in 2022.
“They have in the meantime suspended sales of arms to Nigeria citing human rights violations, corruption, and the unabated killings of Christians in Nigeria,” the source stated.
Recall that President Buhari has placed an order for the aircraft in April of 2018, following extensive discussions with the US government that led to relaxing of a temporary suspension of sale of military equipment to Nigeria during the President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency which was labeled corrupt and failing to observe human rights by the Barack Obama government.
While Buhari said the procurement would help to strengthen Nigeria’s national security as well as the timely end to the Boko Haram war, a US senior diplomat in Nigeria had told reporters in Lagos at the time that amongst other key benefits of the contract, the super Tucanos would be delivered by 2020.
In late 2018, the US Department of Defence announced that it has awarded the contract for the manufacturing of 12 A-29 Super Tucano combat aircraft on behalf of the Nigerian Air Force.
The contract was awarded to Sierra Nevada Corporation, an American aerospace contractor, for an initial sum of $329 million. A clause, described as “undefinitised contract action (UCA)”, was, however, added that the contract sum could be varied, but not exceeding $344.7 million.
As part of the contract for the 12 Super Tucano combat jetliners, the Nigerian Air Force would receive ground training devices, mission planning systems, mission debriefs systems, spares, ground support equipment, and alternate mission equipment, the U.S. defence department said.
There would also be a contiguous U.S. interim contractor support, outside of continental U.S. (OCONUS) contractor logistic support, and five field service representatives for OCONUS support for three years, the U.S. Defence Department said.