By John Ikani
The Federal Government of Nigeria says the delivery of 10 out of 12 A-29 Super Tucano fighter jets expected from the US and their deployment, has changed the tide in the fight against terror in Nigeria.
This was made known by Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed at a forum of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
According to him, the deployment of the jets has contributed immensely to the successes being recorded in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists, who were surrendering in droves in the North-East.
Responding to a question on when Nigeria would buy more fighter jets, Mohammed said the jets were high-grade weapons that could not be bought off the shelves.
What the minister said
“As at today, we have 10 of the jets on ground and the remaining two, I think should be delivered in the next two weeks or so.
“The introduction of these platforms have made a whole lot of difference and it has changed the dynamics of the war.
“When these people surrender, it is either they are over-powered, they are starved of their operations or it has become impossible for them to carry out their dastardly acts.
“They do not just surrender voluntarily. It is just that our media are not doing what they ought to be doing.
“What is expected of them is to prove that since the introduction of the Super Tucano, how many bandits have been killed, how many terrorists have surrendered?
“People have forgotten that under former President Barrack Obama, the US denied Nigeria these Super Tucanos.
“A lot of diplomacy went on before we got these ones,” he said in response to to a question on when Nigeria would buy more fighter jets.
In case you missed it
Nigeria has locked horns with terror groups, including Boko Haram and bandits and other groups, waging bloody wars against their fatherland since 2009.
The deadly conflicts have displaced thousands and claimed hundreds of lives.
On July 22, the Nigerian Air Force took delivery of the first batch of six of the A-29 Super Tucano airplanes from the U.S.
The Director of Public Relations and Information at NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, who made the announcement said the jets arrived in Kano.
The officials that received the aircraft included the Minister of Defence, retired Major.-Gen. Bashir Magashi; Chief of Army Staff, Lt.- Gen. Faruk Yahaya and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao.
