I didn’t spend N100b on Nigeria Air, only N3b was released – Sirika

Former minister of aviation, Hadi Sirika, has denied reports that the N100 billion worth Air Nigeria project birthed under the administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari was a scam.

Sirika denied the reports during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Tuesday, claiming the project was borne out of good intentions and that only N3 billion was released, with the federal government following due process.

“I had no intention to speak about my time in office for now, I intend to bring up a book,” Sirika said.

“It is a public-private partnership which was regulated by the Infrastructure Concessioning Regulatory Commission, which gave certificates and participated actively in the process.

“It is a lie that I spent N100 billion, and it is lost in the process. The total budget for the national carrier was N5billion, the total amount released was N3 billion, and I left the ministry with over N1 billion.”

The House of Representatives in June 2023 reported that the Buhari-led government deceived Nigerians by unveiling a Boeing 737-800 aircraft belonging to Ethiopian Airlines as a “Nigeria Air” plane.

The lawmakers faulted the Buhari government over the purported launch of Nigeria Air some days before the end of the administration, declaring it a fraud.

In August 2023, some Nigerians on X, formerly known as Twitter, also asked President Bola Tinubu’s government to probe Sirika for allegedly misappropriating billions of naira budgeted for the ‘Nigeria Air’ project.

The former minister has been facing trial for alleged corruption and abuse of office since leaving office in 2023, having been accused of awarding multi-billion naira contracts to companies owned by his family members, including his daughter, Fatima Sirika and son-in-law, Jalal Hamma by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The anti-graft agency also accused Sirika of splitting a federal aviation contract worth N2.7 billion to bypass regulatory approvals and awarding it to family-controlled companies, with the EFCC further accusing his daughter and son-in-law’s company, Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, of allegedly receiving N1.3 billion for an unexecuted aviation contract.

When asked whether his visit to the Presidential Villa on Tuesday was to get a soft landing, he said the case was still pending in court, explaining that it was prejudiced for him to comment on it.

“The purpose of the meeting was to officially pay our condolences to the President who did extremely well after the demise of our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari,” Sirika said.

“Also to appreciate him of what he has done and to assure him of the support of our party for which he is our leader.

“Unfortunately, this matter is in the court of law and it is not a matter that should be subjected to the press.

”I am a very clean man. I have worked with people. The government has every instrument at their disposal to find my character,” he added.