The Nigerian Airforce has decried the allegation that recent deadly attacks on troops by Boko Haram terrorists, leading to death of some soldiers was a fallout of non-release of funds by the ministry of finance to buy aviation fuel NAF fighter jets.
The Airforce also debunked allegations that NAF Pilots and Airmen were being owed operational allowances after months in the frontlines fighting Boko Haram terrorists.
A statement signed Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya reacting to an ‘Open Letter to Finance Minister on Boko Haram’ written by Wing Commander AA Abubakar, said, “The attention of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has been drawn to a recent publication in the media, titled ‘Boko Haram: Open Letter to Finance Minister’, which was reportedly written by ‘Wing Commander AA Abubakar’ of Minna, Niger State, said to be a retired NAF officer.
“The letter, published on 6 November 2017, claimed among other things that the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun was deliberately starving the NAF of funds.
“It was specifically stated in the letter that the NAF could therefore not buy aviation fuel and hence, its inability to respond to the Nigerian Army’s request for air support in a recent Boko Haram attack in Sassawa, Yobe State.
“The letter also states that NAF personnel were being owed their monthly allowances.
“The scenario painted by the author (s) of the malicious letter is far from what obtains in today’s NAF.
“Accordingly, the NAF hereby dissociates itself, in unequivocal terms, from the contents of the letter and from the supposed writer.
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“The Federal Government administration has been highly supportive of the NAF through adequate and timely provision of funds without which the NAF could not have recorded its many achievements, especially in the past 2 years.
“Consequently, the NAF has always acknowledged the significant role being played by the Federal Government and its various agencies, including the Ministry of Finance, towards the successful accomplishment of its mission.
“For the records, the NAF has aviation fuel in abundance for the conduct of its air operations and could thus not have failed to respond to any request for air support on account of lack of aviation fuel.
“Besides, the Defence Headquarters had since made it clear that the reports of NAF’s failure to respond to requests for air support in Yobe were a figment of the imagination of enemies of Nigeria.
“Likewise, personnel of the NAF participating in the counter-insurgency operations are not being owed their monthly allowances.
“It is important to state that available NAF records do not indicate the existence of any ‘Wing Commander AA Abubakar (rtd)’, the supposed author of the open letter.
“It is therefore clear that the open letter was authored and published by mischief makers who are hell bent on causing distraction and disaffection within Government agencies probably with a view to eroding the gains being made in the fight against insurgency.
“The NAF, therefore, continues to assure the general populace of the commitment of its personnel to completely eliminating the scourge of insurgency in Nigeria.”
Olatokunbo Adesanya, Air Commodore
Director of Public, Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force
