KEY POINTS
- Hadi Sirika blames Air Peace, Azman, and United Nigeria Airlines for Nigeria Air collapse.
- Says project was transparent, not fraudulent, with only N3 billion spent.
- Ethiopian Airlines chosen for capacity; local carriers lacked global competitiveness.
Nigeria’s former Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Hadi Sirika, has pushed back against allegations of fraud in the failed Nigeria Air project, claiming that domestic carriers under the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) scuttled the deal through litigation.
Sirika argued that the partnership with Ethiopian Airlines was transparent and fully approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC). He accused carriers including Air Peace, Azman, and United Nigeria Airlines of opposing the project because the federal government’s stake was limited to 5 percent.
Sirika: No fraud, no missing billions
Sirika also dismissed media reports suggesting N100 billion was wasted on the defunct carrier, insisting that just N3 billion was disbursed between 2015 and 2023.
“Nearly a third of the N2 billion spent went into consultancy, the rest went to staff,” he said. “We went through every single step of the ICRC process and got to the end. If there was fraud, they would have said it.”
He added that he left the ministry with more than N1 billion unspent.
Why Ethiopian Airlines was chosen
Defending his choice of Ethiopian Airlines, Sirika argued that no Nigerian carrier had the capacity to compete with global airlines.
“I don’t think an airline with five aircraft can compete in the global market against carriers with 250 planes,” he said. “Ethiopian Airlines has been running for 79 years and has shown how to run an airline profitably. They came to partner with us to open up the world to us.”
Sirika contrasted flight prices, noting that Abuja–London tickets cost more than Accra–London because Nigeria lacks a formidable flag carrier.
Court cases halted progress led to Nigeria Air collapse
According to Sirika, the Nigeria Air project had reached its final stage before litigation by domestic operators blocked it.
“We had an airline, but some people went to court to say we cannot establish an airline where we take five percent. That was what stalled it,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to use the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to obtain the agreement documents from the Ministry of Aviation and the ICRC to prove transparency.
“Nigeria Air will come to be”
Despite the setback, Sirika maintained that the vision of a national airline remains inevitable.
“This airline, whether now or in the future, will come to be,” he said. “When the bid happened transparently in which some of those airlines participated Ethiopian Airlines won fair and square.”
