Former Aviation Minister, Senator Hadi Sirika who has been under fire over the Nigeria Air project has broken his silence.
He said that he spent nearly N3bn to hire consultants, pay salaries, and cater for the Abuja office of Nigerian Air.
Sirika clarified that the unveiling of Nigeria Air was initiated by the national carrier’s shareholders, not by the federal government
Sirika accused the lawmaker who branded the National Carrier as fraud of demanding five percent shares of Nigeria Air from him.
During a hearing by the House of Representatives, Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Nnolim Nnaji, had declared the launch of Nigeria Air a fraud.
He had picked holes in the project, criticising the Federal Government for what he described as poor handling.
But speaking on ARISE TV on Sunday, Sirika said the lawmaker approached him and asked for five percent shares of the airline for “him and his people”.
“Hon Nnaji asked me that I should give him 5% of Nigeria to carry him along with his people, and I said to him at that time that honourable, you didn’t understand me. This is a bidding process that has taken place. And some people won, So I think he should go to those people and ask for the 5 percent.”
Sirika also denied any wrongdoing and embezzlement of N85bn allegedly meant for the project.
The former minister made the clarification on Sunday after several calls had been made for his arrest and investigation into his dealing in the national career.
“The business plan had $200m as the capital. They will pay equal to the shareholding they have. Currently, they are signing the shareholder’s agreement. Once they finish the documentation of the shareholder’s agreement, they sign and then they pay,” the minister said clarifying how much the shareholders paid at the time he left office.
He added, “Of course, they cannot take shareholding on paper, everyone has to pay except the Federal Government’s five per cent which will be in kind. Remember, the Federal Government has been spending money on this project. So, all of its services and what he has been doing will be quantified.
If it is equal to 5 per cent, then they will take 5 per cent if it is less, the service will be quantified and made up to 5 per cent.
“In 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, all of the monies voted and budgeted for the national carrier was N5bn. But all that was released is in the neighbourhood of about N3bn, not N85bn and all of the N3bn has not been expended as of the time I left office.
“What was done with the money was nothing but transaction advisory services, the AOC process, salaries, consultancy services and the offices in Abuja. No contract was given by Hadi Sirika or the administration at the time. These are the things that the money was used for.”
He also challenged Nigerians to apply more details using the Freedom of Information Act from the ministry.
On May 26, Sirika launched Nigeria Air against a standing court order halting the carrier. Sirika’s tenure ended on May 29th, 2023.
Before the Senate Committee on Aviation, Dapo Olumide the Managing Director of Nigeria Air admitted that the ET-APL is a Boeing 737 8 Max chartered from Ethiopian Airlines.
The Senate said the Nigeria Air Project is surrounded in secrecy.
The Senate resolved, “Direct the Federal Ministry of Aviation and its partners in the Nigeria Air project to immediately suspend flights operations and every other action with respect to the Nigeria Air;
“Urge our new President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR the President and C-in-C, to as a matter of urgency constitute a high-level Presidential Committee to undertake a holistic Review of the Processes of the whole Nigeria Air project and advice the government on the way forward.
“Ensure that all individuals, groups, or organization involved in the controversial shenanigan named “Nigeria Air Take-Off” are brought to book, prosecuted and sanctioned.”
Clarifying further, the embattled former minister said “It is in the imagination of Roland Iyayi (former MD of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency) in the National Assembly that he said N85bn was budgeted and spent and when they asked him, he said NBS. I think NBS should be questioned if they have it on their records that the money has been spent.
The total amount of money that has been spent between 2016 to 2023 is only N5bn, not all was released, only about N3bn was released and as of the time I left, not all of it has been utilised.”
Sirika admitted the aircraft that was used in launching the Nigeria Air was a chartered aircraft from Ethiopian Air.
But he denied paying any fee for the aircraft.
He said, “First and foremost, the AOC owned by Ethiopian Airline is known to Nigerian laws and the NCAA. They are permitted to come in as either scheduled passengers, chartered or cargo.
“They came as chartered. Chartered does not mean anybody paid. The government did not pay a dime for that to come in and there were no revenue passengers going out. That would have been totally against the law and wouldn’t have been allowed.
“Their own marketing strategies as equity partners came to do the unveiling on a special allowance which is called a charter. If anybody should pay for it, it would have been Ethiopian Airlines not Nigeria.”
