*Says N3bn Nigeria Air fund not completely spent
*You’re a drowning man, Nnaji replies Sirika
Embattled former Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, Senator Hadi Sirika, has said that the House Committee Chairman on Aviation, Hon. Pharmacist Nnolim Nnaji asked for five percent equity shares of Nigeria Air for himself and his people.
Sirika, who has been on fire following the hurried launch on May 26, said that the N3 billion released by the Federal Government towards establishing Nigeria Air has not been completely spent.
Sirika made this known in Abuja while speaking to newsmen on the issue of the national airline.
According to him, from 2016 to 2023, the budget for Nigeria Air is N5 billion, but only N3 billion was released, and up till today, the money has not been completely spent.
He said the government of Nigeria did not pay a dime for the unveiling of Nigeria Air on May 26.
“It is ridiculous to think that we’ll hire and paint an aircraft for N138 billion, which could get us five new Boeing 777 Max.
“We are responsible people and the general public should approach the Ministry of Information and apply for the right of information to see for themselves.
“The House Committee Chairman on Aviation asked for 5 percent of Nigeria Air for himself and his people. I asked him to approach the owners of the airline,” he said.
According to him, former President Olusegun Obasanjo handed Nigeria Airways to his friend company, Arik Air, which is indebted to the tune of over N300bn, of which Nigeria taxpayers’ money is N250bn via AMCON.
“So, do we hand it over to Arik?” he asked, rhetorically.
Meanwhile, House of Representatives member, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji has reacted to the allegation by former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika regarding Nigeria Air.
At a public hearing, Nnaji described the controversial project as a fraud and condemned the use of an Ethiopian Airlines’ registered aircraft during the launch in May.
In response, Nnaji called Sirika a drowning man and advised him to tell citizens “the truth about the contraption he sold to us as Nigeria Air”.
Nnaji recalled that his committee was inundated with petitions from stakeholders after the announcement of Ethiopian Airlines as the core investor.
The committee, he noted, requested for the evidence of the bid process and the business case prepared by the Nigerian Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).
Nnaji said Sirika told them the document was being worked out by the ICRC and they would make it available but failed to do so before Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) sued the Ministry and got an order stopping the project.
“On May 20th 2023, l received reports of threats of mass resignations by key personnel of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA),” he said.
The threat, according to him, followed pressures from the Ministry to give waivers to Nigeria Air to enable it secure Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) so that it could take off before President Muhammadu Buhari leaves office.
Nnaji said he issued a statement warning the former Minister against subverting the authority of NCAA because of its severe consequences on the air transport sector.
“It is also common knowledge that the Nigerian institutional investors he mentioned as participants have all denied him.
“It is not strange that Sirika came up with these spurious allegations against my person because l remained consistent in demanding that he followed due process. He should not deviate from the subject-matter”, Nnaji added.
