Nigeria MPs Dispute Buhari’s $496 Million Jets

• Nigeria MPs Dispute Buhari’s $496 Million Jets

Nigerian lawmakers are accusing President Muhammadu Buhari of withdrawing $496 million from the Excess Crude Account to purchase 12 Tucano fighter jets from the U.S. without consulting the National Assembly, Lagos-based ThisDay newspaper reported.

Both chambers of the national assembly have summoned Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun, Defence minister Mansur Dan Ali, Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele and the Accountant General of the Federation Ahmed Idris, the paper reports, without naming its sources.

Presidential spokesman Femi Adesina declined to comment on the purchase, referring the matter to the defence spokesman. “We don’t have anything to comment on because that’s purely an issue of process,” defense spokesman John Agim said by phone from Abuja.

The U.S. agreed to sell the A29 Super Tucano Aircraft to the Nigerian government to fight Boko Haram Islamist militants, Nigerian Air Force spokesman AVM Olatokumbo Adesanya said in December.