Just In: Reps Call For Impeachment Of President Buhari

Row in House of Reps over $496m Super Tucano fighter jets

Calls For President Buhari’s Impeachment: Reps In Rowdy Session

The House of Representatives is currently in a rowdy session over calls for impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari by Honourable Kingsley Chinda over illegal withdrawal of $496 million to pay for 12 Tucano jets without National Assembly approval.

Naija News learnt that Members of the both chambers of the National Assembly have been left angry over the payment, which they contended was done in breach of the constitution and without legislative approval.

The Pentagon last year August notified the U.S. Congress of the sale to Nigeria of the 12 Super Tucano A-29 planes and weapons worth $593 million, needed for the  fight against the militant group, Boko Haram.

The  package  included thousands of bombs and rockets.

The sale was originally agreed by former President Barack Obama’s administration but was put off by the Obama administration after incidents including the Nigerian Air Force’s bombing of a refugee camp in January that killed 90 to 170 civilians.

But on 2 August, the deadlock was broken by the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency, when it announced that the sale would go ahead.

The Super Tucano A-29, an agile, propeller-driven plane with reconnaissance and surveillance as well as 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.

The Super Tucano costs more than $10 million each and the price can go much higher depending on the configuration.