The immediate past Aviation minister, Hadi Sirika has finally reacted to the controversies surrounding the unveiling of the new national carrier, Nigeria Air.
Recall that on May 26, 2023, a Boeing 737-800 series aircraft with the ‘Nigeria Air’ inscription, landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja as one of the airliners for the proposed national carrier.
However, speculations spread that the plane was an eleven-year-old aircraft belonging to Ethiopian Airlines, ET, and still in active service as at the time it arrived in Nigeria.
It was alleged that the plane was rented from ET and repainted and rebranded with the colours of the proposed Nigeria Air for the May 26 unveiling without changing ownership.
Last Tuesday, Capt. Dapo Olumide, the acting managing director for Nigeria Air, confirmed the speculations during a grilling session by the Senate Committee on Aviation.
Olumide explained that the aircraft was a “legitimate charter flight” because Nigeria Air still does not have a license for full flight operations yet. He said the unveiling was to show Nigerians and shareholders what the Nigeria Air aircraft “will look like.”
Speaking in an interview with Arise News last Saturday, Sirika said the unveiling, which was done on the last working day of Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, was sponsored by the shareholders of Nigeria Air as a “marketing strategy.”
He said, “It was the owners that consulted me and decided to do the unveiling as a part of marketing strategy. I personally received an invitation to attend the occasion.
“It is their own marketing strategy as equity partners that they came to do this unveiling on a special allowance which is called chartered flight. Chartered does not mean they paid for it. If there is anybody that paid for it, it would have been the Ethiopian Airline. No penny was paid.”
Addressing the claims that the unveiling of the national carrier is shrouded in secrecy, Sirika said: “There is an allegation that the whole thing was shrouded in secrecy and that, I find mind-boggling and disturbing. This airline was advertised during the procurement stage, and there was a business conference and members of the airline operations of Nigeria participated in this conference.
“The whole world knew that we were bidding and everyone bidded and even asked for an extension of time. It was open. So, where is the secrecy? We held six stakeholders’ conferences and presented it [the plane] to the public.”
He also said that though N5 billion was budgeted by the federal government for the carrier, only N3 billion was released and not N85 billion as has been alleged, adding that the N3 billion was not fully expended as at the time he left office.
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