Sirika declares Shareholders of Nigeria Air unveiled Airline, Not FG

• Accuses  Chairman of House  Committee on Aviation of Bribery

 

Hadi Sirika, former minister of aviation, says Nigeria Air was unveiled by the national carrier’s shareholders and not the federal government.

The former minister made this disclosure when he appeared on Arise TV on Sunday, monitored by Gentechnews.

Nigeria Air, which has an ownership structure of 49 percent held by Ethiopian Airlines, 46 percent by Nigerian private investors (SAHCO, MRS and other institutional investors), and five percent by the federal government, was unveiled about three days before the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

The House of Representatives committee on Aviation while reacting to the Airline recent launch, had faulted the process leading to the unveiling of Nigeria Air, describing it as a “fraud”.

However, Dapo Olumide, chief executive officer (CEO) of Nigeria Air, who appeared before the committee, said the aircraft used for the unveiling of the national carrier was a chartered flight from Ethiopian Airlines.

Sirika, also affirmed Olumide’s position, noting that although the plane was chartered, the government was not responsible for paying for the flight.

The former minister said the unveiling of the single aircraft was a marketing strategy by the Nigeria Air partners, adding that the national carrier would resume operations once the air operator certification (AOC) process was completed.

“It is their own marketing strategy as equity partners that they came to do this unveiling on a special allowance which is called a chartered flight.

“Chartered does not mean they paid for it. If there is anybody that paid for it, it would have been the Ethiopian Airlines. No penny is paid.

“It was the owners of Nigeria Air, the consortium of the federal government (five percent) that decided to do the unveiling as part of their marketing strategy.

“So it is not the government that was doing the unveiling to start the operations. Not at all. It was them who did it and I was invited,” the former minister said.

Sirika also debunked the allegations that the unveiling of the national carrier was shrouded in secrecy, saying the claims were “mind-boggling and disturbing”.

According to him, “This airline was advertised during the procurement stage in the Economist and in national dailies. And there was a bidding process and members of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) participated in the bidding conference.”

Sirika affirmed that the government has spent about N3 billion in seven years to ensure that the airline becomes operational.

“In 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, all of the monies voted for the national carrier was N5 billion, but all that was released is in the neighbourhood of N3 billion — not N85 billion,” he added.

Sirika hinted that the reports suggesting that the sum of N85bn has been spent on the Nigeria Air project are baseless and false, adding that the bulk of the expended funds has been channelled into consultancies, salaries, and administrative costs associated with setting up the national carrier.

The former minister also disclosed that Nigerian Air would not enjoy any form of special tax privileges, as the taxes presently imposed on other airlines will also apply to Nigeria Air.

Sirika also accused the lawmaker, Nnolim Nnaji, who branded the launch of Nigeria Air as a fraud of bribery, noting that he demanded five per cent shares of the national carrier from him.

Sirika said that the lawmaker approached him and asked for the shares for himself and his people.

“Hon Nnaji asked me that I should give him 5 per cent of Nigeria Air to carry him along with his people.

“I said to him at that time, Honourable, a bidding process had taken place, and some people won. So, I think you should go to those people and ask for the 5 per cent,” Sirika said.

Sirika also criticised Nnaji and the House Committee on Aviation for conducting a “predetermined hearing” on the Nigeria Air project.

 “I was a member of the House of Reps 20 years ago, and 10 years ago, I was a Senator,” Sirika said. “I know the workings of the National Assembly. He [Nnaji] called for a public hearing. And right under the public hearing, he just turned the paper and read the riot act. The practice in the National Assembly is that after hearing people and their complaints, you now go and sit down as a committee, discuss the issues, raise them, approach the whole House of reps and take a position of the House plus leadership and come back and make your findings known, but not immediately you just read the riot Act out. It means it is predetermined,” the former minister emphasized.

Nnaji has not yet responded to Sirika’s allegations.