BREAKING: Tinubu Govt Puts Nigeria Air Project On Hold – Find Out Why!

Eko Hot Blog reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government has suspended the  Nigeria Air project indefinitely.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, Festus Keyamo, announced this development on Monday during the Ministerial briefing commemorating the first year of the Tinubu administration.

Keyamo emphasized that the airline was not truly Nigerian, but rather an effort to pass off a foreign airline as a national carrier.

Recall that the embattled former aviation minister Hadi Sirika had on May 23 launched Nigeria Air, the national carrier,  in the country’s capital city.

The unveiling ceremony was held at the airline’s operation centre situated in the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.

Speaking at the event, Sirika disclosed that, in partnership with the Ethiopian Airlines (ET) consortium, the preferred bidder for Nigeria Air, will connect the market of both countries.

“This is one infrastructure that has been missing in general aviation in dynamics of the country; the airline that is equal to the size of dynamics of the market in Nigeria for its geography and fortune. Indeed, we do need the kind of infrastructure that we are having today in the name of Nigeria Air limited,” he said.

“This Nigeria Air Limited is obviously an entity known to Nigerian laws and the partnership between entrepreneurs in Nigeria and entrepreneurs in the Ethiopia Airline consortium.

“The consortium is a company belonging to many partners and it is a very long journey that we started in 2016 and ended up today.

Speaking on when the flight operations will commence, Sirika said in the process of establishing an airline, “there are conditions set by the regulator which is the NCAA”.

“So, this airplane will be here and we will commence the demonstration flight to show that we can do it. It is normally around 0-40 hours but it can be less. It can be five or even two hours and this is to ensure that we are able and have the capacity to do it,” he said.

Hadi Sirika Lands In EFCC Custody

However, On May 9, the former Minister was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for an alleged N2.7bn fraud in connection with the botched Nigerian Air project.

He was arraigned on six counts alongside his daughter, Fatimah, and two others before Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja.

EFCC alleged that Sirika abused his office by awarding N1.3 billion consultancy contract for the Nigerian Air start-up to Tianero Nigeria Limited.

According to EFCC, his actions were contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

Sylvanus Oriji, the presiding judge in that case, granted bail to the three defendants in the sum of N100 million each, with two sureties in like sum.

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