The Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao has warned the high cost of JET A-1 (Aviation fuel) in the country could affect the Nigeria Air Force role in the counter-terrorism operations across the north.
Since the anti-terror war commenced, NAF has been conducting air surveillance and bombing of terrorists’ hideouts in troubled parts of the country, especially the Northeast and Northwest.
NAF currently has 38 new aircraft, including 12 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft recently bought by the government for combat operations and training.
Amao, who delivered a paper titled “Management of Emerging Air Threat: Implications for strengthening Governance in Nigeria,” said that NAF buys JET A-1 at N950 per litre against N360 appropriated for it in the 2022 budget.
He then suggested two ways the Federal Government could intervene to save the situation.
One is the issuance of a licence to NAF to directly import aviation fuel; the other is the establishment of a coastal reception depot where trucks could load the product to designated points for NAF jets.
The military has been deploying its air assets to aid the ground troops in northeast and northwest where banditry and terrorism have been ravaging lives and livelihood.