Nigerian Air: EFCC Summons Ex-Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika

The former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has been reportedly summoned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to answer questions regarding the recently unveiled ‘Nigeria Air’ supposed national carrier in Abuja.

The minister had launched Nigeria Air in Abuja using an Ethiopian aircraft, towards the end of Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the immediate past president of Nigeria.

The minister, while speaking recently on Arise News, had said the landing of the Ethiopian aircraft in Abuja was “a marketing strategy.”

This generated a lot of reactions as civil society organizations kept calling for the arrest of the minister and other officials involved in the unveiling.

Also, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) disclosed last week that the airline was still on the first stage in a five-phase process of obtaining Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to operate as a commercial airline.

But speaking on the matter recently, the spokesman of AON, Obiora Okonkwo, warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to be “blackmailed into accepting a contraption that would definitely and ultimately hurt the Nigerian economy and destroy millions of existing jobs in favour of one or two individuals”.

The Aviation Minister is now expected to appear before the EFCC within the week in relation to the launch of the airline, Nigerian Air, garbed in Ethiopian colours.

It was gathered that some officials of the national carrier have also appeared before the commission in response to the same matter.

According to sources, the commission would be investigating the huge sum of N3 billion sunk into the project.
Some stakeholders alleged that over N80 billion was expended on the project that is yet to take off.