The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, will next week, lead some Nigerians, including members of the Senate and House Committees on Air Force to the United States to inspect the $493m Super Tucano aircraft ordered by the Federal Government in 2018.
The Deputy Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Air Force, Abass Adigun, disclosed this while speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the empowerment projects for his constituents in Ibadan, Oyo State on Thursday night.
The lawmaker donated two ambulances, sewing machines, motorcycles and grinding machines to about 1,000 people from his constituency.
Adigun, who retired from the US Navy, noted that seven of the planes were expected to be delivered to Nigeria by July, adding that the payment for the aircraft included maintenance and training of Nigerian Air Force pilots.
He said, “Next week, I will be one of the people who will go to the US to inspect the Super Tucanos. One of the advantages of the Super Tucano is that it flies high and still hits the target, unlike the other aircraft that we have in the Air Force.
“I believe if we can get those Super Tucanos, they will give us opportunities to overcome our security challenges. We ordered 12 Tucano planes but seven are coming home by July. Before they come, they have selected about six of us to go, inspect them and see if they are actually the standard they gave us before transferring them.
“We have had our Air Force personnel in the US for the past one year undergoing training. So the package entails that the US Air Force personnel to come to Nigeria to continue training our people. When we bring them to Nigeria, the location will be the Air Force base in Kainji, Niger State.”
The lawmaker representing Oyo South, Senator Kola Balogun; and Mutiat, wife of former Oyo governor, Rashidi Ladoja, hailed Adigun’s performance and urged the people to continue to support him.
