Sirika Denies ₦100bn Nigeria Air Scam, Says Only ₦3bn Released
Former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika has dismissed claims that the Nigeria Air project under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was a ₦100 billion scam, insisting the initiative was conceived with good intentions and due process. Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Tuesday, Sirika described the reports as misleading. “It is a lie that I spent ₦100 billion. The total budget for the national carrier was ₦5 billion, the total amount released was ₦3 billion, and I left the ministry with over ₦1 billion,” he said. The former minister explained that Nigeria Air was structured as a public-private partnership (PPP) and regulated by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), which participated actively in the process and issued necessary certificates. The controversial project, launched shortly before Buhari left office, has since come under scrutiny, with Sirika facing trial for alleged corruption […]