Hadi Sirika, a former Nigerian aviation minister, has defended the failed Nigeria Air (Lagos) project he oversaw, insisting the initiative was transparent, lawful, and aimed at creating a viable national airline that could have competed internationally.

Speaking on The Morning Brief programme on Nigeria's Channels Television, on September 2, Sirika, who led the project initiated under former President Muhammadu Buhari as a public-private partnership, responded to criticism from the current aerospace development minister, Festus Kayama, who suspended the project and ordered an investigation by Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). As a result, Sirika and family members currently face corruption charges involving NGN2.7 billion naira (USD1.8 million).

Nigeria Air would have involved Ethiopian Airlines and a consortium of Nigerian investors holding a 49% stake, the Nigerian Sovereign Fund 46%, and the Nigerian government 5%. However, local Nigerian carriers grouped under the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) sued the government, claiming the bidding and selection process was flawed and harmful to domestic airlines. The project ended when the Federal High Court in Lagos declared the Nigeria Air joint venture null and void in August 2024.

Speaking on the television programme, Sirika said the airline would have launched successfully had it not been for the court case.

He denied the project had been a scam or involved any fraud, pointing out that the process was transparent and regulated by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC). He emphasised that all records were on file with ICRC. "Nigerians should invoke the Freedom of Information Act [...] and get the documents," he charged. "There's no fraud. It's a lie."

Sirika also claimed the Nigeria Air budget was significantly smaller than alleged. "The total budget for the national carrier was NGN5 billion (USD3.3 million), of which NGN3 billion (USD2 million) was released," he said. "Nearly a third went to consultancies and salaries. The balance remains accounted for."

Ethiopian Airlines, he added, was chosen fairly through a transparent bidding process, adding that other African airlines participated in the tender. He argued that with the help of the Ethiopian carrier, Nigeria Air would have been able to compete internationally, noting that African carriers face challenges competing with established global airlines.

Responding to public concerns over allegations of corruption and personal enrichment, Sirika denied building new houses or benefiting improperly from the project. "All houses I own today, I owned before becoming minister," he said.

He disclosed that there is an upcoming book covering his tenure and the Nigeria Air project.