Hadi Sirika. |
A Nigeria-based anti-corruption group, SecureWorld and Liberty Initiative for Peace, SELIP, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to probe the outgoing Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, for allegedly using the establishment of a national carrier, Nigeria Air, to perpetrate fraud and commit economic sabotage.
The
petition, which was addressed to the EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, was
signed by the Executive Director of SELIP, Comrade Mark Adebayo, requesting the
anti-graft agency to investigate the outgoing minister for undertaking ventures
designed to benefit a few individuals and lead to the eventual collapse of
aviation, a critical sector of the Nigerian economy.
The
group noted with dismay the unveiling of an aircraft on Friday in Abuja
purportedly belonging to Nigeria Air, despite an existing court order
restraining the minister from taking any action regarding the project.
The
group alleged that in a desperate bid to hoodwink President Muhammadu Buhari's
government and the generality of Nigerians, the minister imported a re-painted
aircraft owned by Ethiopian Airlines and passed it off as the maiden flight
belonging to Nigeria Air.
The
civil society group averred that the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos headed
by Justice A.L Allagoa, in a suit filed by the Airline Operators of Nigeria,
had granted three separate orders of injunctions, restraining the Federal
Government from taking any step about the Nigeria Air project 'but the minister
in a desperate bid to cover up the monumental fraud in the deal elected to
flagrantly disobeyed an order of a court of competent jurisdiction and produced
a sham called unveiling of Nigeria Air flight last Friday.'
"We
are compelled to bring to your attention that the aircraft purportedly unveiled
on Friday, May 26, 2023, by Minister Sirika, as the first flight of the
national carrier, Nigeria Air, is still in active service of Ethiopia Airlines.
We can confirm that the aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 with the
registration number ET-APL, has since left the country this weekend
for Turkey according to a check on the flight radar; it only transited Nigeria
for the farce of a show put up by the minister. The flight landing in the
country with Ethiopia Airlines' registration number means Nigeria Air has
no Air Operator Certificate. No aircraft can be registered in Nigeria
without the carrier having an AOC which means that the aircraft does not belong
to Nigeria Air either as leased or owned equipment. So, Sirika should not be
allowed to fool Nigerians," the group said in the petition.
The
group urged the anti-graft agency to make Sirika account for a whopping N15.9
billion that has been committed so far to the project by the federal
government, alleging that the desperation by the minister is geared towards
covering up the misappropriation of funds and monumental fraud.
"The
unveiling was a desperate attempt to justify the N15.9 billion appropriated by
the federal government to Nigeria Air since 2016. The phantom project has
continued to lick up budgetary provisions; N1.3 billion was allotted to it in
the 2023 budget with an additional N700 million as ‘working capital’ and
N200 million as consultancy fee; so, the minister must not be allowed to
hoodwink Nigerians with the 'importation of a rented aircraft into the country
and pass it off as a step to the commencement of the operation of the airline
days to his exit from office. This act of fraud and economic terrorism must not
be allowed to go unpunished," the petition read.
Sirika
claimed that Nigeria Air Limited is a private sector-led airline, with only
five per cent of the company owned by the Nigerian government. The minister
also added that a consortium of entrepreneurs in Nigeria owns 46 percent while
investors in Ethiopian Airlines retain 49 percent of the shares.
However,
SELIP in the petition, countered the minister saying the conception and
implementation of the national carrier project were shrouded in ambiguity and
designed to defraud the people of Nigeria by a few Nigerians in connivance with
their international collaborators.
"There's
no agreement with the stakeholders in Nigeria, so on what basis has a painted
plane be brought in to deceive Nigerians? The lack of transparency on
funding and alleged zero consideration for local players and national interest
is frightening as the proposed Shareholders' Agreement which is yet to be
signed the, reserves all Executive Directors positions for the Ethiopians with
Nigerians as deputies," the group said.
SELIP
said Sirika must be compelled to explain why in the proposed Shareholder
Agreement, Ethiopian Airlines will also collect millions of dollars yearly as
management fees despite having 49% shares and why the East African company will
attract such grace by using just their own planes as contributions to the
project.
The
group also charged the EFCC to probe the 3% of the total shares allocated
to Fairfax Ltd which was appointed as the Transaction Adviser to the
project.
SELIP
appealed to the anti-graft agency to probe the deal that granted Fairfax
Nigeria Limited the shares without paying a dime.
"This
company will also be paid millions of dollars monthly and will be in charge of
procurement for Nigeria Air. There is overwhelming evidence that Sirika has a
substantial interest in Fairfax Nigeria Limited albeit by proxies, and one of
the most curious things is why a firm incorporated in March 2021 without robust
experience in the aviation industry will be factored into such a monumental
project. Please, use your good office to probe the perpetration of conflict of
interest and grand fraud against the Nigerian people so that sanity will be
restored in that sector and cause a rebound in the confidence of investors in
the industry," the group said.
SELIP
said the implementation of the project is capable of undermining the efforts of
the incoming Bola Tinubu administration and the EFCC must make the promoters of
the phantom deal face the full length of the law.
"Being
a high flight risk after May 29th, 2023, we demand the immediate arrest of
Minister Hadi Sirika before he flees the country. We urge your Commission
to keep perfect vigilance on Minister Sirika and not allow him to escape from
these shores but be made to answer for his massive corruption that is bound to
harm the critical sector of Nigeria's Aviation Industry.
"This
scam scheme can only be compared to the daring scam by a Nigerian who sold a
phantom airport to some Brazilians years ago. We are sure the Commission has an
institutional memory of that obnoxious financial crime that caused Nigeria
international embarrassment. The current scam is no less obnoxious.
"We
have confidence that the EFCC will do justice and timely, too, to get to the
bottom of this scam and save Nigeria's Aviation Industry from the impending
doom," the petition read.
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