![\"\"](\"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Senator-Hadi-Sirika-300x225.jpeg\")
Testifying as the 12th prosecution witness before Justice S.C. Oriji, EFCC investigator Christopher Odofin told the court that documents obtained during the Commission’s investigation showed that the aircraft displayed at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport was never intended to operate commercial services as Nigeria Air.<\/p>\n
Instead, according to the witness, it was flown in from Addis Ababa solely for a brief public exhibition designed to coincide with the final days of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari and Sirika’s departure from office.<\/p>\n
Reading from what he described as a charter agreement involving Ethiopian Airlines, Odofin told the court that the aircraft departed Addis Ababa on the evening of May 26, 2023, arrived in Abuja on May 27, remained on the ground for a static display bearing Nigeria Air branding, and departed again on the morning of May 29 – the very day power changed hands in Abuja.<\/p>\n
According to the witness, the agreement expressly stated that the aircraft would remain in Nigeria only for display purposes before returning to Ethiopia. The document also indicated that the flight would be operated entirely by Ethiopian Airlines personnel and contemplated the use of individuals dressed in Nigeria Air uniforms for ceremonial photographs.<\/p>\n
“The aircraft was brought for a static display and returned after less than 72 hours,” Odofin told the court, adding that investigators subsequently established that the Nigeria Air branding was removed after the exhibition before the aircraft resumed service under Ethiopian Airlines.<\/p>\n
The testimony revives one of the most controversial episodes of the Buhari administration’s aviation agenda.<\/p>\n
For years, the proposed Nigeria Air project stood at the centre of Sirika’s aviation roadmap. The former minister repeatedly pledged that Nigeria would once again have a national carrier before the end of the administration. When an aircraft bearing Nigeria Air colours landed in Abuja in May 2023, government officials hailed the event as a major milestone in fulfilling that promise.<\/p>\n
Yet questions emerged almost immediately.<\/p>\n
Industry observers noted that the aircraft carried registration markings linked to Ethiopian Airlines, while aviation stakeholders queried whether the unveiling represented a genuine airline launch or merely a symbolic exercise. Airline operators and critics argued that the display created the impression that a fully operational national carrier had been established when regulatory and ownership issues remained unresolved.<\/p>\n
The controversy deepened weeks later when Nigeria’s civil aviation authorities reportedly declined to advance Nigeria Air’s certification process, citing deficiencies in operational preparedness.<\/p>\n
Long before the unveiling, Ethiopian Airlines had emerged as a key participant in the Nigeria Air project. The airline was announced as the preferred strategic investor, with a substantial equity stake in the proposed carrier. The arrangement generated opposition from some domestic airline operators, who argued that a foreign airline should not play such a dominant role in Nigeria’s flagship aviation venture.<\/p>\n
In the aftermath of the unveiling, Sirika publicly maintained that the aircraft’s appearance was part of the investors’ strategy and that Ethiopian Airlines, as a major shareholder, played a leading role in the exercise. He also argued that the project was primarily private-sector driven rather than a conventional government-owned airline.<\/p>\n
However, prosecutors now allege that the timing and execution of the display were intended to create a public perception that the long-promised national carrier had become a reality before the administration exited office.<\/p>\n
Beyond the aircraft display, the EFCC’s case also focuses on contracts linked to the establishment of Nigeria Air.
\nOdofin testified that a startup consultancy contract valued at more than \u20a6299 million was awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited in April 2022 and later extended, pushing the total value beyond \u20a6599 million. According to the witness, investigators concluded that the extension was influenced by Sirika’s relationship with the company’s principal.<\/p>\n
The witness told the court that forensic analysis of the phone of a former permanent secretary in the ministry allegedly uncovered a voice note sent while Sirika was abroad, instructing that the contract be awarded to the company. The prosecution claims this forms part of the evidence linking the former minister to the procurement decisions under scrutiny.<\/p>\n
In another potentially significant development, the court admitted a compact disc said to contain an audio recording allegedly made by Sirika. Marked as Exhibit 37, the recording is expected to be played during a subsequent hearing.<\/p>\n
The prosecution also tendered numerous documents, which were admitted without objection from defence counsel after the court was informed that they had been duly signed, authorised and accompanied by relevant certificates of identification.<\/p>\n
The proceedings mark the latest chapter in a saga that has shadowed the Nigeria Air project since its loud unveiling three years ago.<\/p>\n
What began as an ambitious effort to restore a national carrier has evolved into a high-profile corruption trial touching on questions of public trust, procurement integrity, political legacy and the use of state resources.<\/p>\n
For prosecutors, the central allegation is that a temporary display aircraft was presented as evidence of a major policy achievement. For the defence, the task will be to challenge the prosecution’s interpretation of events and the evidence now before the court.<\/p>\n
Justice Oriji has adjourned proceedings until June 17, 2026, when the trial is expected to continue and the court may hear additional evidence, including the audio recording that has now become part of the case record.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What was once celebrated as the triumphant rebirth of Nigeria’s national airline has returned to public scrutiny in dramatic fashion, with an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigator alleging before a Federal Capital Territory High Court that the aircraft unveiled as Nigeria Air in May 2023 was, in reality, an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft temporarily […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":99321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,7],"tags":[164,8438,5917,1001],"class_list":["post-99319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","category-news","tag-efcc","tag-ethiopian-airlines","tag-nigeria-air","tag-sirika"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=99319"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99324,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99319\/revisions\/99324"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/99321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=99319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=99319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=99319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}