ADC CALLS FOR AUDIT OF ₦4.5BN NAF AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE FUNDS AFTER ONDO CRASH
E-ISSN: 2354-4481
By Grace Chidimma Ibe
ABUJA, ABUJA FCT, NIGERIA — The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called for a comprehensive audit of funds released for the maintenance of Nigerian Air Force aircraft following the crash of an ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda, Ondo State.
The opposition party also questioned the disparity between funds released for the maintenance of the Nigerian Air Force fleet and those allocated to the Presidential Air Fleet, saying the figures warranted closer scrutiny of the government’s funding priorities.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed condolences to the families of the military personnel and crew members who lost their lives in the crash.
The party said it would not pre-empt the ongoing investigation into the cause of the accident but urged authorities to examine the aircraft’s maintenance history, defence procurement processes and the condition of other military equipment as part of the inquiry.
According to the ADC, the Federal Government had released ₦4.5 billion as of December 2025 for the maintenance of Nigerian Air Force aircraft, representing approximately 13 per cent of the ₦34.71 billion budgeted for aircraft maintenance.
The party contrasted this figure with the ₦20.74 billion allocated for the maintenance of the Presidential Air Fleet.
It said ₦20.27 billion, representing 97.76 per cent of the amount allocated for the Presidential Air Fleet, had been released within the same period.
The ADC argued that the disparity in releases raised questions about the adequacy and prioritisation of funding for military aircraft used by personnel involved in national defence operations.
The party said the maintenance funding gap should form part of the issues examined by investigators, alongside other factors that may have contributed to the crash.
It specifically called for an audit covering maintenance expenditure, budgetary releases and actual spending on Nigerian Air Force aircraft to determine whether allocated funds were properly released and utilised for their intended purposes.
“The safety of the President matters. But what also matters is the safety of the pilots and airmen who put their lives on the line in defence of the country,” the party said.
The ADC further urged the Federal Government to review defence procurement and aircraft maintenance practices, stressing that the investigation should establish whether funding, maintenance schedules, technical conditions or other operational factors played any role in the accident.
The party, however, urged that the formal investigation be allowed to proceed without political interference or premature conclusions.
The ATR-42 aircraft operated by the Nigerian Air Force crashed on Monday in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State while reportedly on a routine mission from Benin, Edo State, to Lagos.
The crash resulted in the deaths of military personnel and crew members, prompting renewed concerns over the condition and maintenance of military aircraft in the country.
As of Tuesday, authorities had not established the cause of the crash.
The ADC said its call for an audit was not intended to prejudge the outcome of the investigation but to ensure that all relevant issues surrounding the maintenance and funding of Nigerian Air Force aircraft were thoroughly examined.
The party also urged the government to make relevant findings from the investigation available to the public when the process is concluded, saying transparency would help strengthen accountability and improve aviation safety within the military.
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