…Plane chartered from Ethiopia – MD
… Arrest Sirika, some Nigerians tell FG
The House of Representatives has poked holes in the purported launch of Nigeria Air at the twilight of the administration of former President, Muhammadu Buhari, declaring it a fraud.
Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Nnolim Nnaji, declared the launch of Nigeria Air a fraud after the major stakeholders in the deal between the Federal Government and Ethiopian Airlines denied knowledge of the launch.
The Ministry of Aviation claimed Nigeria Air was only unveiled and not launched, which the committee dismissed as an attempt to divert the lawmakers’ attention.
Members of the committee were shocked when NAMA disclosed that the aircraft bearing Nigerian colours was on a chartered flight to Nigeria.
Other stakeholders who confirmed the disclosure noted that a chartered flight could be painted in any colour and with any inscriptions.
In a related development, Dayo Olumide, the acting Managing Director of Nigeria Air, has disclosed that the airplane that landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on May 26, 2023, was a chartered one from Ethiopia.
Recall a few weeks ago, an aircraft bearing the logo of Nigeria Air was sighted in Abuja.
Speaking before the Senate Committee on Aviation on Tuesday, Olumide said the plane was chartered from Ethiopian Airlines to launch the country’s official airline.
The Nigeria Air MD added that his mandate is to secure an operating licence for the airline that is still in its early stages.
“It is a pleasure to be here and to finally make our position known where I can clarify all the misconceptions regarding Nigeria Air as it pertains to the technical aspects of it.
“As you know this airline was launched with the logo in 2018. Several things have transpired since then that has nothing to do with me.
“I was invited last February, my mandate is to secure an air operating certificate for the airline not necessarily to operate the airline but to secure a licence to fly. And that is entirely my responsibility,” he said.
Senator Olujimi, Chairman of the Committee on Aviation, expressed her thoughts on the situation adding that the arrangement of the Nigeria Air was shrouded in suspicion.
Olumide, while responding to Olujimi’s question said the aircraft, causing the conversation did not require a licence, as it was hired.
He said, “I will like to address your question first before I go on. The aircraft that came in and left was a legitimate charter flight. Anyone of us here if we have a destination wedding in Senegal, we can charter an aircraft.
“You don’t need to have a licence to do that, you just charter an aircraft, an aircraft you paid for it, it will be brought here, take your passengers, and off you go.
“And that is what we did. But in this case, it was to unveil. Ever since 2018, all you have ever seen about Nigeria Aircraft were pictures, and drawings, not the real aircraft, and we thought it was time to show what the real aircraft will look like and also to let shareholders know.
“You see we have institutional investors, they are not in aviation, but they are putting their money for 10 or 15 years and to exit may be at the premium. So they need to see what the actual aircraft will look like.
“So we brought it in here to show them what the aircraft will look like. Then the social media dimensions came into it.
“It is an Ethiopian-registered one. Why is it Ethiopian-registered? To operate aircraft in Nigeria, they must be Nigerian registered; on 5th November. That aircraft was not on 5th November registered because it was a chartered flight and it came in with just a few day’s clearance and off it went.
“For us to get that licence which is my mandate, we must among other things have three aircraft before the NCAA will give us a licence and those three aircraft must be Nigerian-registered aircraft.”
“There are five steps that one goes through to have a licence. We have gone from the first one to the second one but the problem is that when you change what we call post holders.
“Post holder is a technical term for director of maintenance, or chief pilot, when you change them and replace them completely, you have to go back to phase one to interview them to be compliant to the authority, to the civil authority. But haven gone back to phase one doesn’t mean you have done anything thing wrong. That is a correct and normal process.
“So when this aircraft came on a chartered flight, everybody said we have launched Nigeria Air.
“There are learned people in the aviation industry who could have countered that when social media came out, they chose not to,” he added.
In a more recent development, some Nigerians on the internet have called for the arrest and prosecution of the immediate past Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, after the Managing Director of Nigeria Air, Dayo Olumide, disclosed that the aeroplane that landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on May 26, 2023, was a chartered one from Ethiopia Airlines.
Reports had it that Sirika affirmed at a Federal Executive Council meeting that the national carrier will begin operations before Buhari’s administration winds down on May 29, 2023, despite an order by a Federal High Court in Lagos restraining Nuhu Musa, director-general of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, from issuing an air operator’s certificate to the proposed airline.
Meanwhile, netizens have come down hard on the minister and called for his arrest and prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
A tweeter, Rinu Oduala, wrote, “Nigeria Air” has been declared a fraud after major stakeholders in the deal between Federal Government and Ethiopian Airlines denied knowledge of the launch. NAMA said that the plane was rented and repainted in Nigerian colours. The plane has since been flown back to where it came from.”
Another tweep, Irunnia, said, “In a sane country, people like Hadi Sirika should be locked up but EFCC will never do that. They will rather arrest anyone they see with an iPhone even the ones with Uk used iPhone 6. This man scammed an entire country and he is still walking around without fear.”
Brother Barth opined that If Hadi Sirika is not arrested in the next 48 hours over #NigeriaAir fraud and international shame, President Tinubu is a suspect.
“Senator Sirika pushed for this twice, and after the second attempt, a huge dent has been placed on the adventure with the “fraud label”. Lessons for him and everyone involved,” Agboworin wrote.
“Even the government admitted they were fraudulent in what they did. Their justification; a chartered flight to Nigeria can be painted in any colour and with any inscription. Nigeria is not real, Wallahi.”
