Nigeria Air: DSS Grills Ex-Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika in Abuja Over Fraud Allegations
The launch of Nigeria Air, the supposed national carrier, has landed the former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, in hot water. The Department of State Services (DSS) has reportedly invited Sirika for questioning over the controversy surrounding the project.
According to sources, Sirika arrived at the DSS headquarters in Abuja on Thursday afternoon in a Range Rover SUV. He was grilled for several hours by the secret police over his role in the alleged scam.
The Nigeria Air project has been widely criticized as a deceptive and fraudulent scheme. The public was shocked to discover that the Muhammadu Buhari administration unveiled a Boeing 737-800 aircraft belonging to Ethiopian Airlines as a Nigeria Air Aeroplane.
The aircraft unveiled in May as Nigeria Air was actually a 10-year-old plane belonging to Ethiopian Airlines. The plane was chartered for the sole purpose of displaying the Nigeria Air logo.
The acting Managing Director of Nigeria Air, Captain Dapo Olumide, also revealed that the project lacked structure, personnel, infrastructure, certification, and details on equity holding. He said that the federal government only invested 5% in the project, while the rest was owned by private partners.
The Concerned Northern Forum (CNF) has demanded the arrest and investigation of Sirika for alleged fraud. The group accused him of misleading the public and wasting billions of naira on a half-baked project driven by personal benefits.
The Nigeria Air project was initiated by the Muhammadu Buhari administration in 2018 as part of its efforts to revive the aviation sector. However, the project has been marred by controversy and delays ever since. It is unclear whether the project will ever take off or remain grounded.
Meanwhile, the DSS’s invitation to Sirika is seen as a sign that the security agency is taking the matter seriously.
It is unclear what the DSS is investigating, but it is likely that they are looking into the allegations of fraud and mismanagement surrounding the launch of Nigeria Air.
The DSS’s investigation is a further blow to the Nigeria Air project, which has been plagued by controversy since its inception.
It remains to be seen whether the project will ever get off the ground, but the DSS’s investigation is likely to cast a shadow over it for some time to come.
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