Controversy has trailed the unveiling of an airplane for the proposed Nigerian Air, the national carrier, with many speculating that the aircraft unveiled by the federal government belongs to Ethiopian Airlines, ET.
At 12:43 p.m. on Friday, a Boeing 737-800 series airliner with the ‘Nigeria Air’ inscription, which left the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in Ethiopia at 9:55 a.m., landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
This is in keeping with the promise by Hadi Sirika, the minister of aviation, that an aircraft for the proposed Nigerian carrier will arrive in the country on Friday as another landmark achievement of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration ahead of the inauguration of the President-elect Bola Tinubu on Monday, May 29.
After the arrival of the airliner, Sirika expressed gratitude to God and Nigerians for their support, describing the project as ” very long, tedious, daunting and difficult.”
But many Nigerians didn’t seem to share in the Minister’s joy as they alleged that the aeroplane’s registration number, ET-APL, shows that it was registered in the East African country of Ethiopia to ET and still in active service.
Several local media platforms supported the claim. Multiple reports say the plane had operated for the ET as recently as May 21, 2023, with its last flight being to and fro Tel Aviv, Israel and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital.
The 11-year-old airplane was also reportedly acquired by Malawian Airlines on February 16, 2014, and reclaimed by the Ethiopian government in 2015 and has been operating under ET since then until it was flown into Abuja on Friday afternoon.
Investigative journalist, David Hundeyin, letting the cat out of the bag on his Twitter page on Friday said, “Aviation minister, Sirika is committing broad daylight fraud by displaying this rented and hurriedly repainted Ethiopian Air Boeing 737-800 as an aircraft belonging to a phantom ‘Nigeria Air.'”
Hundeyin’s statement implies that the aircraft took on Nigeria Air’s brand colours and logo without changing ownership.
This has become the stance of many Nigerians who believe that the Minister of Aviation pulled a fast one on them to clear the shame of failing to deliver the much-anticipated project as his tenure expires in less than 48 hours.
In a swift reaction to the claims, the special assistant to the President on digital communications, Bashir Ahmad, explained that the ET registration number is expected as ET is a strategic equity partner of Nigeria Air.
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