African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised worries over funding for the maintenance of Nigerian Air Force aircraft fleet following Monday’s fatal ATR-42 crash in Igbokoda, Ondo State.
The Party asked why the Presidential Air Fleet received substantially higher maintenance funding than the aircraft operated by the Air Force.
It also expressed sadness over the death of 20 passenger and five crew members that lost their lives in military air crash on Monday in Ondo State.
ADC said available budget implementation figures showed that only about 13.98 per cent of the N34.71 billion allocated for Nigerian Air Force aircraft maintenance had been released by December 2025, compared with 97.76 per cent implementation of the N20.74 billion allocated for maintenance of the Presidential Air Fleet.
The ADC said the disparity required scrutiny, particularly following the crash of the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda. The Nigerian Air Force said the aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when it crashed.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, expressed condolences to the families of the victims but said the tragedy should also prompt a broader examination of defence funding and aircraft maintenance.
“While we do not intend to prejudice ongoing investigations into the cause of this tragic crash, we believe that this sad moment also provides an opportunity to raise, yet again, questions about the non-implementation of the defence budget and the perennial neglect of military equipment,” the party said.
The Federal Government had released N4.5 billion, representing about 13.98 per cent of the N34.71 billion budgeted for maintenance of Nigerian Air Force aircrafts as of December 2025, ADC claimed lamenting that the figures contrasted this with the N20.74 billion budgeted for maintenance of the Presidential Air Fleet, of which N20.27 billion, or 97.76 per cent, had reportedly been released.
“Put simply, while the fleet that serves a handful of people in power got almost every kobo it asked for, the fleet that serves and protects 200 million Nigerians was left with crumbs.
“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. Patriotism does not replace spare parts, and condolence messages do not take the place of accountability,” it said.
