Former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, has dismissed allegations that the Nigeria Air project initiated under the Buhari administration was a scam.
Sirika who spoke on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Tuesday, insisted that the project was a public-private partnership that followed due process and was supervised by the Infrastructure Concessioning Regulatory Commission (ICRC).
“It is a lie that I spent N100 billion, which was lost in the process. The total budget for the national carrier was N5 billion, the total amount released was N3 billion, and I left the ministry with over N1 billion,” he emphasized.
The former minister said he had no intention of commenting on his tenure as he plans to reveal all in a book.
The controversial Nigeria Air was launched in May 2023, shortly before the end of Buhari’s tenure, but the unveiling was widely criticised as fraudulent by industry stakeholders and members of the public.
Meanwhile, Sirika is facing trial by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged contract fraud. In May 2024, he was arraigned alongside his brother and associated firms on charges involving over N19 billion in aviation-related contracts.
