Ondo helicopter crash: ADC mourns, questions maintenance spending

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has expressed its sadness over the crash of a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda, Ondo State, on Monday, while raising questions about the non-implementation of defence budgets needed for the regular maintenance of aircraft in service with the Nigerian Air Force.

The party said this in a statement on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi in Abuja.

The opposition party commiserated with the families of the victims of the crash.

Describing the incident as “tragic and unfortunate”, the party stated that it highlighted the poor funding of defence budgets in the country.

“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.

Citing official figures, the opposition party stated that, by December 2025, the Federal Government had released a paltry N4.5 billion, representing only about 13.98 per cent of the N34.71 billion budgeted for the maintenance of Nigerian Air Force aircraft.

This, the party said, stood in sharp contrast to the N20.74 billion allocated for the maintenance of the Presidential Air Fleet, of which N20.27 billion had been released over the same period, representing 97.76 per cent.

“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 ADC said.

“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,” the party maintained.

The party therefore demanded that investigations into the cause of the crash also examine the maintenance of defence equipment, especially the Nigerian Air Force fleet, and include an audit of maintenance expenditure and budgetary releases.