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The U.S. State Department has authorized a potential Foreign Military Sale to Nigeria, involving munitions, precision bombs, precision rockets, and related equipment estimated at $346 million.
This decision follows a previous hold by U.S. lawmakers on weapon sales to Nigeria due to concerns about potential human rights violations by the Nigerian government. In 2022, nearly $1 billion in weapons sales to Nigeria were approved under President Joe Biden after a pause during Donald Trump's first term.
The military’s accidental bombings while targeting terrorists had raised serious concerns, affecting local villagers in Nigeria.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) confirmed it submitted the necessary certification to Congress, alerting legislators about the proposed sale.
The Nigerian government has requested 1,002 MK-82 general-purpose 500 lb bombs; 1,002 MXU-650 Air Foil Groups (AFGs) for 500 lb Paveway II GBU-12; 515 MXU-1006 AFGs for 250 lb Paveway II GBU-58; 1,517 MAU-169 or MAU-209 computer control groups for Paveway II GBU-12/GBU-58; 1,002 FMU-152 joint programmable fuzes; and 5,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) all-up-rounds, which include a WGU-59/B guidance section, high-explosive warhead, and MK66-4 rocket motor.
Non-major defense equipment in the package consists of FMU-139 joint programmable fuzes, bomb parts, impulse cartridges, high-explosive and practice rockets, and technical support and test equipment from U.S. Government and contractors.
The State Department noted that this sale aligns with U.S. foreign policy and national security aims by bolstering a key partner's security in Africa. It will enhance Nigeria’s capability to tackle present and future threats, particularly against terrorism and illegal trafficking in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea.
The DSCA emphasized that the sale will not disturb the military balance in the region and Nigeria is expected to seamlessly integrate the munitions into its military. The principal contractors for this potential sale include RTX Missiles and Defense (Tucson, AZ), Lockheed Martin Corporation (Archibald, PA), and BAE Systems (Hudson, NH).
The U.S. Government is not aware of any offset agreements connected to this deal; any such arrangement would involve negotiations between Nigeria and the contractors.
The DSCA also affirmed that no further U.S. Government or contractor representatives would be deployed to Nigeria for sale implementation, indicating no negative impact on U.S. defense preparedness.
The final cost may be lower than the initial estimate based on Nigeria's final needs, available budget, and the completion of signed agreements.
