House of Reps summons former Aviation Minister over ill-fated ‘Nigeria Air’ project

• Sirika is expected to shed light on various aspects of the project, following a proposal by Tarkighir Dickson that was approved during Thursday’s plenary session
  

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The House of Representatives has summoned Hadi Sirika, the immediate past Minister of Aviation, to address federal lawmakers regarding the status of the “Nigeria Air” national carrier project.

The directive was issued to the House Committee on Aviation, tasking them with inviting Sirika to provide an update on the project’s status during his tenure.

Sirika is expected to shed light on various aspects of the project, following a proposal by Tarkighir Dickson that was approved during Thursday’s plenary session.

In presenting the motion, Tarkighir highlighted that in 2016, the former minister outlined an aviation roadmap with the national carrier as a flagship project, promising its delivery before the conclusion of the previous administration.

Tarkighir also disclosed the former minister’s approach to Ethiopian Airlines for aircraft provision shortly before leaving office and noted that Nigeria Air had obtained an air transport license from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

Dickson was quoted by PUNCH to speak further: “The last administration spent billions of naira ostensibly to acquire the said new national carrier but the status of the project remains unclear, regardless of billions of taxpayers’ funds utilised on the project.

“If the negative trend is not investigated, it may lead to issues with accountability and continue to be a recurring expenditure item in the federal budget.”

The House adopted the motion and directed the committee to also invite the NCAA to brief it on the Nigeria Air project and its certification.

Recall that the House of Representatives in June confirmed SaharaReporters’ story that the former President Muhammadu Buhari-led government deceived Nigerians by unveiling a Boeing 737-800 aircraft belonging to Ethiopian Airlines as a “Nigerian Air” plane.

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

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