The National Assembly is billed to hold talks with the United States Congress over the stoppage of weapons sale to Nigeria, Saturday PUNCH has reliably learnt.

The Senate and the House of Representatives may be sending different delegations to meet with their American counterparts on how to successfully procure attack helicopters and other arms and an munition in a deal valued at $875m (N360bn/)

Chairmen of different security committees in the National Assembly, in separate interviews with one of our correspondents between Wednesday and Friday, confirmed knowledge of the deal’s stoppage and their readiness to seek legislative and diplomatic interventions.

The US lawmakers are holding down a proposed sale of warplanes to Nigeria amid mounting concerns over the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s (retd), human rights record as the country grapples with multiple security crises.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee of the Congress has reportedly delayed clearing a proposed sale of 12 AH-1 Cobra fighter jets and accompanying defence systems to the Nigerian military.

The proposed sale also includes 28 helicopter engines produced by GE Aviation, 14 military-grade aircraft navigation systems made by Honeywell, and 2,000 advanced precision kill weapon systems – laser-guided rocket munitions, according to information sent by the State Department to Congress and reviewed by Foreign Policy Magazine.

A report by the magazine on Tuesday said the behind-the-scenes controversy over the proposed arms sale illustrated a broader debate among Washington policymakers over how to balance national security with human rights objectives.

The hold on the sale also showcases how powerful US lawmakers want to push the Joe Biden administration to rethink US relations with Nigeria amid overarching concerns that Buhari is drifting toward authoritarianism as his government is besieged by multiple security challenges, including the Boko Haram insurgency.

Western governments and international human rights organisations have ramped up their criticisms of the Buhari regime, particularly in the wake of its ban on Twitter, systemic corruption issues, and the Nigerian military’s role in crackdowns on #EndSARS protesters last October.

The details on the proposed sale were first sent by the US State Department to Congress in January before then-former Vice President Joe Biden was inaugurated as president, according to officials familiar with the matter.

Asked if the National Assembly would engage the US Congress on the matter, the lawmaker said, “Yes, That is what is right. If it requires that, we would do it.”

Also, the Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, said the lawmakers would deploy diplomatic means to resolve the issue.

On how soon the Nigerian lawmakers would meet with their American counterparts, Benson said, “It is a top priority in our diplomatic shuttles. It was supposed to have been held but we are on recess. We hope that it would be done very soon. It is a matter that we would resolve. They just need assurances.”

A ranking member of the Senate, who spoke on condition of anonymity, however, criticised the US for refusing to sell arms to Nigeria.

The lawmaker said, “We are having this challenge. You cannot move freely. This is a matter of Nigeria and Nigerians against insurgents and terrorists, and bandits who have graduated to an organisation that can be classified as a terrorist organisation. They are shooting down Air Force planes; they are killing people indiscriminately. This is why the Nigerian Government is looking for arms to fight them.

DefHQ:

The lawmaker said, “We are having this challenge. You cannot move freely. This is a matter of Nigeria and Nigerians against insurgents and terrorists, and bandits who have graduated to an organisation that can be classified as a terrorist organisation. They are shooting down Air Force planes; they are killing people indiscriminately. This is why the Nigerian Government is looking for arms to fight them.

Visocrate:
I thought they said there was no deal so which other deal again are they talking about

Aparthied:
Nigeria is getting more useless everyday!
When you have an illiterate leader as the president of a country;the world sees everyone in that country as the same .

NGpatriot:
Our problem is not illiterate leaders, the problem is illiterate Nigerians swallowing every fake rubbish they read.

Even you can not show US any proof that we are trying to buy arms from the US, it's not even by accident that the fake news peddlers sis not identify the nameless US lawmaker blocking the fake deal and?

michlins:
Lai Mohammed, this is how you will be disgracing yourself. The other day, your grandchild was asking you if you're a liar. How can you refute this


Do you know that your paymasters will be laughing at your deliberate naked dance in the public space

Racoon:
...

NGpatriot:
Awon ode, we never engaged in any arms deal and we currently don't have any arms deal with the US apart from the successful Tucano deal. The arms deal bring blocked by a no name US lawmaker to was another fabticated rubbish and fake news.

Shouldn't they even first find out if there was any arms deal? This lazy panel need to find something better to do,

mushystuff:


The senate would normally approve the appropriation of funds for a procurement of this nature. Don't be in such a hurry to criticise the Senate unless you mean that the NASS and Executive are working at cross-purposes despite all their claims to the contrary.

NGpatriot:


I'm not in a hurry to jump into anything and this is the reason why I asked them to first proof that we are buying anything from the US before jumping into conclusion.

There is no record of any official documents showing that we are buying anything, not in Nigeria, not in the US, not in the Nigerian Senate, nowhere.

...but during the 12 Tucano war plane and weapons deal, there was official documents in the US and in Nigeria, we saw the appropriation requests and approval buy NASS.

When was this request made and when did NASS approved the weapons and money transfer deal? That's the question we need to answer first.

mushystuff:
More will unfold as the days go by. You appear to be making definite, categorical statements that there is no record regarding the transaction in question and I daresay you are not in possession of all facts. Questions asked need to be answered and I am not sure you are in a position to provide authoritative answers the way you have set about here.

Maxymilliano:
I don't understand. The Minister of information said there was no deal of sort and Nigeria is not aware, now the National Assembly wants to meet U.S. Congress on none existing deal with Nigeria according to Lai Mohammed.

nairalandankrah:
Lie Mohammed is extremely possessed with the fowl spirit of lying..this is no joke!
I confirmed it yesterday!

Monogamy:
But I thought Mr Lai said there was nothing like such deal?

NGpatriot:



He's the official FG spokesman and he knows what he is talking about, unless you can prove him wrong with your own official facts and not den say den say..

Monogamy:


Wait, why have you been attacking me lately for no reason?.

Please stop

NGpatriot:


Stop dodging, asking you to prove the man wrong wasn't an attack, it was a simple equest.