A former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, has faulted reports in some quarters that the Air Nigeria project conceptualised by ex-President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was a scam, insisting that the initiative was birthed out of good intentions.
Sirika disclosed this when he featured on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Tuesday.
He said the government followed due process.
He stated, “I had no intention to speak about my time in office for now, I intend to bring up a book.
“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 N5bn, the total amount released was N3 billion and I left the ministry with over N1 billion,” he stated.
The Nigeria Air was launched at the tail end of Buhari’s administration
The former minister has been facing trial for alleged corruption and abuse of office since leaving office in 2023.
He was accused of awarding multi-billion naira contracts to companies owned by his family members, including his daughter, Fatima Sirika and son-in-law, Jalal Hammaby the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
He was accused of splitting a federal aviation contract worth N2.7 billion to bypass regulatory approvals and awarding it to family-controlled companies.
The EFCC also accused his daughter and son-in-law’s company, Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, of allegedly receiving N1.3 billion for an unexecuted aviation contract.
Answering questions on whether his visit to the Presidential Villa on Tuesday was to get a soft landing, he said the case was still pending in court, noting that it was prejudiced for him to comment on the issue.
He explained, “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.
“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.
(Punch)
