By Emmanuel Nduka
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has condemned the controversial Nigeria Air project of his predecessor Hadi Sirika, describing it as a “fraud” and a “lie” that was never going to exist, this it remains “suspended”.
Heritage Times HT reports that Sirika who was appointed Aviation Minister by former President Muhammadu Buhari, appeared in court earlier this month for corruption charges, along with his daughter and son-in-law. His daughter, Fatima Hadi Sirika and son-in-law, Jalal Sule Hamma, allegedly got consultancy roles in the failed Nigerian Air project, according to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Reeling out his ministry’s Scorecard in the last nine months at Day-3 of the Ministerial Sectoral Updates at the National Press Centre, Radio House, Abuja on Monday, Keyamo affirmed earlier speculations that the Nigeria Air-branded aircraft displayed by Sirika on the eve of his exit from office, was an Ethiopian Airline that was repainted to deceive Nigerians.
He said Sirika’s Nigeria Air project was of no benefit to Nigerians, this it remains “suspended”.
On the resumption of Emirates Airlines flight to Nigeria, he said the President Bola Tinubu-led government ensured the reconnection out of its deep concern for Nigerians with huge “investments” in Dubai.
Keyamo said his administration has shown strict compliance with safety regulations which has transcended to continuous upward movement of Nigeria’s ranking by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
He said the Aviation ministry under his watch is seriously concentrating on development of local human capacity within the industry.
As per foreign partnerships to grow Nigeria’s Aviation sector, the minister disclosed that the Nigerian Government has signed an “Open Skies Agreement” with the US Government.
He recalled that part of the positive takeaway from his recent trip to Saudi Arabia where he met his Aviation counterparts from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, was a full resumption of cargo flights between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.
Keyamo added that legal discussions are underway to end the process of securing court injunctions to detain local airlines. This he said, will boost the confidence of local airlines, as his administration is also working hard to replace “Wet Lease”with “Dry Lease”.
