Air Nigeria: How ex-aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika almost created a monopoly for Ethiopian Airline – Keyamo

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has revealed how his predecessor, Hadi Sirika, attempted to create a free economic advantage for the Ethiopian airline in achieving the National courier, Air Nigeria.

Keyamo accused Sirika of signing a controversial agreement with the African air giants in a manner he said would have crashed other local airlines in Nigeria.

The minister who revealed this on Monday following the conclusion of the Federal Executive Council meeting held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, described the attempt as a robbing Peter to Pay Paul scheme.

Keyamo added that the immediate past minister consented to a conditional agreement stipulating that the national courier would exclusively hire Ethiopian nationals for all top-level management positions.

The minister who did not mention any name, however, his statement nonetheless indicts Sirika, the minister who worked to secure Nigeria Air’s actualisation while serving as President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet.

Controversy erupted in June after the House of Representatives Committee of Aviation, Nnolim Nnaji, declared Nigeria Air as a fraudulent deal after stakeholders in the project appeared.

In reaction, Sirika, accused the Nnaji, of demanding a five per cent stake in the controversial and proposed national carrier, Nigeria Air.

The EFCC had also summoned Sirika, to appear before it over the controversial Nigeria Air project, which he claimed had gulped N3 billion.

Keyamo said, “I’ve deliberately not granted a full press interview because I heard this kind of thing on social media.

“But I cannot preempt my president. I cannot,” he added.

“All the documents, all the reports we have forwarded to Mr President, all the issues we met on the ground but just to say that it would have been irresponsible of me as a minister to take over office and I feel the pains of Nigerians.

“Even the National Assembly raised concerns over that and so many stakeholders. It would have been irresponsible to close my eyes totally to those issues.

“So because of that we suspended it and said let us look at all the issues and recommend.

“In the agreement, you are giving tax waivers for Ethiopian airlines coming into Nigeria. They asked for tax waivers for five years and you granted them to come and compete with your local airlines who are paying those heavy taxes.

“How? You want to create a monopoly. That is why when they tell you we want to crash the price by 70 per cent it is a lie.” He said.

“It is robbing Peter to pay Paul because they have removed all taxes from you (Ethiopian Airline) and they will drive everyone else out of the market and you will now have a monopoly and you can hike it up there to 500 per cent. Nobody is there to challenge you.

“The only thing that brings down prices in the commercial world is competition. And fair competition.

“In the agreement, they also proposed that they (Ethiopian Air) would appoint all top management from Ethiopia in Nigeria and we agreed.”