By Abiola Olawale
The immediate-past Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika has spoken on the controversies surrounding the Nigeria Air project, a national carrier initiative that sparked widespread criticism.
Speaking during an interview with Channels TV on Wednesday, Sirika dismissed claims of fraud and mismanagement.
Sirika, during the interview rejected allegations of fraud, claiming that Nigeria Air was a “transparent public-private partnership regulated by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).”
According to him, only ₦3 billion of the budgeted ₦5 billion was spent, refuting claims of ₦85 billion or ₦100 billion mismanagement.
He also alleged sabotage by some Nigerian airlines under the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), who he claimed allegedly opposed the project.
He said: “I think I was on either Channels or Arise during the controversy of Nigeria Air. First and foremost, it was a public-private partnership (PPP), regulated by the ICRC, which issued a certificate for the OBC and ABS, and which actively participated in the process. It was not our process.
“It was the process of the ICRC. It was not a bad deal. I read in the papers that I spent around 100 billion, and it was lost in the process. That was a lie. Between 2015 and 2023, the total budget for the national carrier was 5 billion. The total amount released was 3 billion. I left there with over a billion.
“Nearly a third of the 2 billion that was spent went into the consultancy that was used during the time and the balance of the money, of course, into staff that were hired. By the way, we went through every single step of the ICRC process, and we got it to the end.
“We had an airline, but some people (Air Peace, United, and Azman) went to court to say that we cannot establish an airline where we take five per cent. That was what stalled it. If there were no court case, and the government that came in had pursued the court case, by today, we would have an airline.
“Talking about Ethiopian Airlines. Approximately 95 percent of all airlines operating in Africa are not African. British Airways, Qatar, Air France, and others. Ethiopian Airlines has been running an airline for 79 years. They have made a statement on how to run an airline, and they are Africans.
“They came to partner with us to be able to open up the world to us. Today, the price of a ticket from Abuja to London is more expensive than from Accra to London, and the reason is that we do not have a formidable airline with the capacity to continue to do so. We have seen Air Peace before, we have seen Azman before. When I say we have seen them I mean we have seen Kabo, which was much bigger than all of them. We have seen Okada, Arik. They all came and went. What is amiss is the capacity they need to build to compete with people who have 250 aeroplanes.
“I do not think an airline that has five aircraft can compete in the global market with well-established carriers and expect to operate and make a profit. To sum it up, all that we did to establish Nigeria Air we had taken to the final step before these people now went to court. There was no fraud. If there was, they would have said it…
“This airline (Nigeria Air), whether now or in the future, will come to be because we did not arrogate to ourselves the knowledge of aviation alone. When the bid (for Nigeria Air) happened transparently, in which some of those airlines participated, Ethiopian Airlines won fair and square.”
Recall that the Nigerian Air launched in July 2018 at the Farnborough International Air Show, was unveiled with promises of transforming Nigeria’s aviation sector.
Sirika, the project’s chief architect, announced then that the project would be a private-sector-led airline, with the federal government holding a 5% stake, Ethiopian Airlines 49%, and Nigerian firms MRS and SAHCO owning 31% and 15%, respectively.
The carrier was slated to operate 81 domestic, regional, and international routes.
However, the project faced immediate hurdles. Despite a 2016 roadmap and a pledge to commence operations by December 2018, Nigeria Air failed to materialize.
Recall also that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been investigating Sirika since June 2023, focusing on alleged corruption and abuse of office.
In April 2024, Sirika was arrested over a ₦8.06 billion money laundering probe linked to aviation contracts, including ₦2.7 billion allegedly awarded to companies tied to his daughter, Fatima Sirika, and son-in-law, Jalal Hamma.
The EFCC also detained Sirika’s brother, Abubakar, for alleged contracts awarded to Engirios Nigeria Limited, with no trace of work completed.
Subsequently, the Minister was charged to court alongside his daughter and son-in-law. However, they all pleaded not guilty to six charges in May 2024 and were granted bail.
