Reps probe Nigeria Air project, summon ex-minister, Sirika
The House of Representatives has directed its Committee on Aviation to invite the immediate past Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, to brief it on the status of the proposed national carrier, Nigeria Air, as of the time he left office.
The former minister is expected to provide insights on a wide range of controversies surrounding the project.
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This followed the adoption of a motion moved by Tarkighir Dickson at plenary on Thursday.
Presenting the motion, he said the former minister in 2016 proposed an aviation road map with national carrier as the signature project, and that he promised to deliver the project by the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
According to the lawmaker, the former minister approached Ethiopian Airlines a few days before the handover to provide an aircraft that could be made available to Nigerians as an aircraft belonging to Nigeria Air.
He added that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority issued an Air Transport License to Nigeria Air.
Dickson added, “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 utilised on the project.
“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.”
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The House adopted the motion and directed the committee to also invite the NCAA to brief it on the Nigeria Air project and its certification.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had in September suspended the Nigeria Air project and the planned concessioning of some airports.
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