By Desire Emmanuel
The 12th Prosecution Witness in the trial of the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Abubakar Sirika, Christopher Odofin, on Wednesday, June 10, told Justice S.C. Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court Abuja, how Sirika allegedly passed off an aircraft belonging to Ethiopian Airline as that of the promised Nigeria Air during the government of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
The aircraft, adorned with the livery of the promised Nigeria Air, found its way on the tarmac of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on May 27, 2023, being three days to the expiration of the tenure of the Buhari government and was flown back to Addis Ababa in the morning of May 29, 2023, being the handover date to the successor government.
Sirika is facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on amended six-count bordering on alleged abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of over N2 billion, alongside his daughter, Fatima Hadi Sirika, son-in-law, Hamma Jalal Sule and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited.
The contract for the setting up of Nigeria Air was awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited, belonging to Gabriel Tilmann, a close associate and friend of the former minister.
Reading from a portion of contract agreement with Ethiopian Airline, the witness, an investigator with the EFCC said: “The aircraft will depart from Addis Ababa late evening of May 26, 2023 for it to be positioned early morning of May 27, 2023 at the Abuja airport.
“The aircraft will stay in Abuja airport for static display of Nigeria Air livery until May 28, 2023. The aircraft will leave Abuja airport early morning on May 29, 2023.
“The chartered flight will be operated by the Ethiopian Airline crew in Ethiopian Airline uniform. The Federal Government of Nigeria and Nigeria Air may put together local models who will be in Nigeria Air uniforms to pose for ceremonial pictures. The models may come to Addis Ababa so they may fly with the chartered flight to Abuja.”
The witness told the court that the display of the aircraft in Abuja Airport was deliberately planned to coincide with the end of his tenure as Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development on May 29, 2023 and to pass the aircraft off as the actualisation of his promise of the return of Nigeria Air.
After the less than 72 hours display of the aircraft, he stated that the Nigeria Air logo was removed from the aircraft and the plane was returned to Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa.
The witness further disclosed that the investigating team was also able to ascertain that Ethiopian Airlines entered into a charter arrangement for the static display of the Nigeria Air livery for a duration of just three days, beginning from May 27 to May 29, 2023 based on information and documents received from the airline following a letter from it, dated June 12, 2023, in response to the EFCC’s request for information regarding Nigeria Air.
He added that though the purpose of the contract was for the establishment of Nigeria Air, the charter agreement with Ethiopian Airlines was entered on May 24, 2023, five days to the expiration of the minister’s tenure for just a static display of the Nigeria Air logo on an aircraft.
All the documents tendered in evidence by the prosecution were shown to have been duly signed, authorised and accompanied by certificates of identification and were not objected to by any of the counsels to the four defendants.
Among the exhibits is a compact disk containing a voice note from the minister, marked Exhibit 37, which the prosecution counsel applied to be played in the court at the next adjourned date.
Further in his testimony, the witness told the court told that though the contract for the start-up of Nigeria Air, which was awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited for over N299 million on April 4, 2022, saw a contract extension award to the company on October 17, 2022, to a sum, exceeding N599 million on the instructions and directives of the first defendant, based on his relationship with the company’s alter ego.
Justice Oriji adjourned the matter till June 17 for the continuation of the trial.
