Hadi Sirika Explains Why Nigeria Air Failed, Blames Local Airlines

Former Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Hadi Sirika, has blamed some domestic airline operators for the failure of the Nigeria Air project, a partnership agreement between the Federal Government and Ethiopian Airlines.

Speaking on Morning Brief, a Channels TV programme, Sirika said the project was a transparent public-private partnership (PPP) that passed through the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC). However, he alleged that Air Peace, Azman, and United Nigeria Airlines stalled the initiative by challenging the five percent equity stake allotted to Nigeria.

Sirika said:

“We had an airline, but some people (Air Peace, United and Azman) went to court to say that we cannot establish an airline where we take five per cent. That was what stalled it. If there was no court case, and the government that came in had pursued the case, by today we would have an airline.”

The former minister dismissed claims that ₦100 billion was wasted on the project, insisting that between 2015 and 2023, only ₦3 billion was released out of the ₦5 billion budgeted, with about a third spent on consultancy and the rest on staff.

He defended the choice of Ethiopian Airlines as partner, noting their 79-year track record:

“Approximately 95 percent of all airlines operating in Africa are not African. Ethiopian Airlines has shown how to run an airline, and they are Africans. They came to partner with us to open up the world. Today, Abuja–London tickets are more expensive than Accra–London because we lack a formidable national carrier.”

Sirika argued that Nigerian carriers lacked the fleet size and global capacity to compete with major international airlines:

“I do not think an airline that has five aircraft can compete in the global market with carriers that have 250 aeroplanes.”

He insisted there was no fraud in the Nigeria Air deal and urged Nigerians to use the Freedom of Information Act to verify all documents with the Ministry of Aviation and the ICRC.

“If the current minister says it was a bad deal, Nigerians should invoke the Freedom of Information Act and get the documents. It was not a fraud, it was a lie.”

Sirika concluded that Nigeria Air would eventually become a reality, stressing that Ethiopian Airlines won the bid “fair and square.”