THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has charged former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, his daughter Fatimah, and two other suspects in court.
The ex-minister is scheduled to appear in court for trial for the first time on Thursday, May 8, before Sylvanus Oriji, a justice of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Sirika and his three co-defendants – his daughter, Fatima; Jalal Hamma; and Al-Duraq Investment Ltd – are set to appear in court to face a six-count amended charges.
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According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Wednesday, May 8, his charges include fraudulent contracts awarded by the ministry under his watch.
The suspects were also charged with abusing their positions to launder over N2.7 billion in the Aviation Ministry.
This development is coming a few weeks after the anti-graft agency quizzed the former minister over alleged money laundering.
Sirika reportedly accepted an invitation from the EFCC On Tuesday, April 23, and showed up at the commission’s Abuja office, where he was interrogated.
It was learnt that the former minister met with EFCC investigators to answer questions on alleged fraudulent contracts he awarded to Engirios Nigeria Limited, owned by his younger brother, Abubakar Sirika.
In December 2023, President Bola Tinubu dismissed several senior aviation officials due to widespread fraud in the ministry.
Those affected included managing director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN); Kabir Yusuf Mohammed, managing director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) Tayib Adetunji Odunowo, director-general of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) Akinola Olateru, director-general of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) Mansur Bako Matazu and rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Alkali Mahmud Modibbo.
According to the statement, Nuhu, the director-general of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), was suspended from office so that the EFCC could conduct a thorough investigation into his activities and those of other senior agency officials.
The ICIR reported on June 15, 2023, that EFCC summoned ex-minister Sirika over the N3 billion Nigeria Air project.
The former minister on an Arise Television programme on Sunday, June 11 2023, argued that of the N5 billion budgeted for the project take-off, only N3 billion was released, contrary to the speculation that the Aviation ministry had spent N85 billion on the failed Nigeria Air project.
The bulk of the expended funds, according to Sirika, was channelled into consultancies, salaries, and administrative costs associated with setting up the national carrier.
The ICIR reported that both the Senate and the House of Representatives aviation committees had criticised the unveiling of the Nigeria Air aircraft, with the latter labelling it a “fraud.”
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M