The former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has made a revelation about Nigeria Air and a lawmaker who spoke out against its launch. Speaking on ARISE TV, Sirika stated that the Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Nnolim Nnaji, demanded 5% shares of the national carrier for him and his associates. This demand was made in private conversation, after Nnaji publicly criticised the launch of Nigeria Air and Ethiopian Airlines’ role in the project. Sirika claimed that he informed Nnaji that a bidding process had already taken place for the shares of Nigeria Air, and that the committee chairman had not been specific about the identity of his associates.

The launch of Nigeria Air in 2018 was a controversial topic in Nigeria, drawing mixed reactions from the public and private sector. The airline was intended to be a public-private partnership and was presented with great fanfare, but the project was cancelled shortly after the unveiling due to what was referred to as a lack of investor interest. Sirika went on to explain that the failure to attract investors for Nigeria Air was partly due to the conduct of the House Committee on Aviation, which had gone on a fact-finding mission to Ethiopia and allegedly created a rift between Nigerian and Ethiopian officials.

Nnaji had accused the committee of hiding the true motives of the Nigeria Air project and described it as “oppressive.” He also claimed that the project was not transparent and did not reflect best practices, going as far as to call it a “fraud.” Sirika denied these claims and defended the launch of Nigeria Air as a well-planned project that could have had a positive impact on Nigeria’s economy.