The Nigerian’s Federal House of Representatives on Thursday summoned the immediate past Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika for questioning over the controversial national air carrier, Air Nigeria.
In a motion sponsored by a renound Benue Lawmaker, Hon. Tarkighir Dickson on the floor of the House at Thursday’s plenary, the Green Chamber noted that , in 2016, the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika proposed an aviation roadmap with national carrier as the signature project, aiming to deliver it to Nigerians by the end of former President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s (retd) administration;
Hon. Dickson said Sirika in pursuant of the project “Approached Ethiopian Airlines a few days before the handover, to provide an aircraft that could be made available to Nigerians as belonging to Nigeria Air and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority had issued an Air Transport License to Nigeria Air, that was the name for the proposed national carrier.”
He said, “The House is aware that the last administration spent billions of naira ostensibly to acquire the said new national carrier but the status of the project remains unclear regardless of billions of taxpayers’ funds utilized on the project.”
The House, “Worried that if the negative trend is not investigated, it may lead to issues with accountability and continue to be a recurring expenditure item in the federal budget,” resolved to “Invite the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo to brief the Committee on Aviation about the national carrier project.”
It also invited Sirika to brief the Committee on Aviation on the status of the project at the point he handed it over and provide insights on a wide range of controversies and allegations surrounding the project.
This is just as the lawmakers urged the National Bureau of Statistics and Ministries of Budget, National Planning and Finance to furnish the House with data and financial resources on the national air carrier project.
Following the adoption of the motion, the House also mandated its Committee on Aviation to invite Sirika to brief it on the status of the project at the point he handed it over and “Provide insights on a wide range of controversies and allegations surrounding the project.”
It also invited the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority to brief it about the Nigeria Air Carrier Project and its certifications as applied to the National Air Carrier
It further invited eight local airlines and their associations to afford the House a full overview of the project just as it mandated its Committee on Aviation to “Carry out a forensic audit of the process of Nigeria Air and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.”
