Sirika Blames Air Peace, Azman, United for Collapse of Nigeria Air Deal

Former Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Hadi Sirika, has blamed some Nigerian carriers for frustrating the launch of Nigeria Air, the proposed national carrier.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, Sirika accused Air Peace, Azman Air and United Nigeria Airlines of derailing the project by challenging the deal between the federal government and Ethiopian Airlines in court. He said the legal action stalled progress despite the agreement having passed scrutiny at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).

Sirika insisted the partnership with Ethiopian Airlines was transparent and lawful, noting that contrary to public claims, no N100 billion was wasted on the project. He explained that from 2015 to 2023, N5 billion was budgeted, N3 billion was released, and over N1 billion was left unused when he left office. About a third of the expenditure, he said, went into consultancy services, while the remainder covered staffing.

He defended the decision to partner Ethiopian Airlines, arguing that no domestic carrier had the fleet size or global reach to compete with established international airlines. According to him, Ethiopian Airlines’ decades-long track record and African identity made it the right partner.

Citing the high cost of tickets on routes such as Abuja–London compared to Accra–London, Sirika said Nigeria lacked a formidable national airline to balance the market. He added that while carriers like Air Peace and Azman had made contributions, they lacked the scale to compete internationally.

The former minister maintained there was no fraud in the deal and urged Nigerians to invoke the Freedom of Information Act to independently verify the documents at the Ministry of Aviation and ICRC. He said Nigeria Air was taken to its final stage before the court action disrupted it and expressed confidence that the airline would eventually take off in the future.