ABUJA, Nigeria — Former Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Hadi Sirika, has said domestic carriers were responsible for the collapse of the Nigeria Air partnership with Ethiopian Airlines, insisting the agreement was transparent and lawfully approved.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief programme, Sirika argued that members of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) — including Air Peace, Azman Air and United Nigeria Airlines — undermined the project by going to court, objecting to the government’s five percent stake in the planned carrier.
“We had an airline, but some people went to court to say we cannot establish an airline where we take five per cent. That was what stalled it,” Sirika said.
“If there was no court case, and the government that came in had pursued the case, by today, we will have an airline.”
Sirika rejected claims that the Nigeria Air project was fraudulent, stressing that it had passed through the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).
“It was a public-private partnership regulated by ICRC, which gave a certificate of compliance,” he said.
“It was not our process. It was not a bad deal.”
The former minister said reports alleging that ₦100 billion was spent on the project were false.
“Between 2015 and 2023, the total budget for the national carrier was ₦5 billion. The total amount released was ₦3 billion. I left there with over a billion naira,” he said, adding that much of the expenditure went into consultancy and staffing.
Sirika defended the choice of Ethiopian Airlines as technical partner, noting its 79-year track record in running a profitable airline and its dominance across Africa.
“They came to partner with us to open up the world to us,” he said, contrasting Nigeria’s lack of a strong national carrier with Ghana’s access to cheaper tickets to London.
“I do not think an airline that has five aircraft can compete in the global market with well-established carriers and expect to make profit,” he added, referencing domestic operators.
Responding to critics, Sirika challenged Nigerians to invoke the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) to obtain project documents from the Ministry of Aviation and ICRC.
“If the minister is saying it is a bad deal, Nigerians should go and get the documents and establish where the fraud is. It was not a fraud, it was a lie,” he said.
Sirika, who has promised to publish a book on his time in office, insisted that Nigeria Air “will come to be,” describing it as a necessary step for the country’s aviation sector.
