Insinuations are rife that the current administration of President Bola Tinubu has been reluctant to openly probe into serious allegations of corruption against some ministers and senior officials who served in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. This, according to critics, was because the President was trying to avoid rubbishing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to which they both belong. A dependable source in the Presidency disclosed that Tinubu adopted a silent mode of probe where those found culpable among the former ministers were made to return their loot secretly into government coffers without raising any eyebrow.
The source, who craved anonymity because he had no mandate to speak on the matter said: “The President is seriously after the looters in Buhari’s administration. “Some of the ministers under probe have pleaded to return their loot to avoid prosecution. “Several billions of Naira and others in hard currencies have been returned to the gov- ernment while investigations into their activities continue.” Another source added: “Almost all the heads of agencies and parastatals under the former President are under investigation. “You will see that the President has been sacking them one after the other. Some of them have pleaded for out of court settlement by refunding looted funds traced to them.
“Those proving stubborn among the corrupt officials would soon be charged to court. “It would interest you to know that the former President has refused to intercede for any of his ministers found culpable. “We learnt that Buhari had expressed surprise at the level of sleaze perpetrated by his ministers and that he had told anyone of them found culpable to face the consequences of their actions. “He had told them never to bother him in his retirement with their problems.” Meanwhile, the major opposition political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), have both welcomed the development with the two calling for transparency and prosecution of those found culpable.
The Publicity Secretaries of the parties, Debo Ologunagba and Obiora Ifoh, in separate telephone chats with Saturday Telegraph yesterday’ however, maintained that the development, if true, would allow the country to have access to more funds to run the country. Reacting to the development, Ologunagba said: “You are saying that you have a good authority but I don’t know the authority that you have now,” while asking for specific details with regards to those involved in the various financial crimes during the life of the immediate past regime. The PDP spokesman concluded by urging the media and other stakeholders to help make the government more transparent on the issue, saying, “May be if you write this and other stakeholders talk, the NSA and the EFCC will be forced to talk.”
On his party, Ifoh, who welcomed the development, urged the Federal Government to prosecute those involved with a view to making it serve as a deterrent measure to those who might want to loot the country in future. “I have not read the story before but if it is true, it is a welcome development. For us in the Labour Party, the issue should move beyond returning money. “The government should also mete out the punishment that is involved in such an act, Ifoh said.
Recall that the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) had said all the stolen public funds recovered between 2016 and 2019 by the immediate past government of Muhammadu Buhari are missing from the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The group revealed this on 14 February via its verified X-page, adding that the missing looted funds were discovered when the management of the apex bank could not account for them.
“BREAKING: Recovered stolen public funds between 2016 and 2019 are reportedly missing from the Central Bank of Nigeria [CBN]. The Auditor-General of the Federation wants the CBN to account for the money,” the group wrote on X.
Earlier the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) disagreed with the Nigerian government on the amount of looted funds the latter said it recovered from 2015 to 2022
The Buhari Government disclosed that over one billion dollars were recovered as looted funds by the administration within the period of seven and half years.
The former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who made this known while briefing newsmen said $1 billion in looted funds had so far been recovered by the Buhari-led administration.
Commenting on the issue of looted funds, Malami stated that the funds had been deployed to various sectors of the economy, including poverty alleviation.
However, Mr Olanrewaju Suraju, Chairman of HEDA Resource Centre had disclosed that the figure published by the government was not accurate.
He said the only thing that was correct about President Buhari’s administration was the inconsistency in the stating and flaunting of figures, especially regarding asset recovery.
Suraju lamented that the government’s asset recovery programme had not been coordinated.
He explained that a serious government that values statistics and data could have been more constructive and responsible to provide data that covers international recoveries and local recoveries.
Will other big monies ever be recovered?
in June 2023, BusinessDay reported how the hopes of many Nigerians were dashed few hours after Hadi Sirika, the former minister of aviation had made a static display of what was supposed to be the resurrected Nigerian carrier, Nigeria Air.
Few hours after Nigerians had celebrated the arrival of the aircraft, then videos, evidences and pictures started to trickle in showing that the said aircraft used for the static display was ‘borrowed’ from Ethiopian airlines.
Nigerians who were taken aback at this display of what they described as ‘fraud’ wondered why a government would go as far as deceiving its own citizens of floating a non-existing airline.
In 2015, when Sirika was appointed minister of Aviation, he had put forward an aviation roadmap with National Carrier as the queen project, which he promised must be delivered to the Nigerian people before the end of Muhammadu Buhari administration.
After failed attempts by other ministers to set up and successful run a sustainable national carrier in the last 50 years from Nigerian Airways to New Co, Nigerian Global, Nigerian Eagle, Virgin Nigeria, Air Nigeria and Nigeria one, Sirika had promised that the former President Muhammadu Buhari administration was going to restore the pride of Nigeria in the skies by floating a national carrier which would bear Nigerian flag.
The first display of what was supposed to be an unveiling of the airline was done in another country.
The former minister had in 2018 unveiled Nigeria Air as its new national carrier at the Farnborough Air Show in the U.K. This ceremony had raised dust as many wondered why the unveiling of Nigeria’s own airline was done in another country.
Before and after the launch of the carrier, the prospective airline continued to gulp huge sums of money, despite not acquiring a single aircraft.
N85bn spent on Nigeria Air in 8yrs
In eight years, Buhari’s administration spent over N85 billion on Nigeria Air.
Data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and Compilation of Budgetary Allocations show that the Federal Government spent N85.42billion on transaction advisers, working capital and consultancy bills for Nigeria Air between 2016 and 2023.
Despite the huge amount spent on the national carrier, the airline has not only failed to secure Air Operating Certificate, an approval granted by a Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to an aircraft operator to allow it use aircraft for commercial flight operations, but has also not secured a single aircraft for its operations.
As Buhari’s administration was close to winding up, stakeholders reminded Sirika of the monies spent on the national carrier and his promise to deliver the project before the administration was over.
Sirika, who had already ticked a scorecard for himself as achieving 98 percent of all he promised on his aviation roadmap including the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility; the Aviati)on Leasing Company (ALC); Aerotropolis, Airport concession and the development of agro-allied cargo terminals, just needed a last tick on national carrier to bid the aviation sector goodbye.
Sirika had boasted that the national carrier project was going to be the icing on the cake as he would be achieving 100 percent of his road map with the floating of the national carrier.
For Sirika, a static display of an aircraft branded and labeled ‘Nigeria Air’ would probably help achieve the ‘dream’ of resurrecting the national carrier and 100 percent achievement of the aviation roadmap.
The static display of wingless carrier
Findings show that the former minister of Aviation had contacted Ethiopian Airlines few days before the handover, to provide an aircraft that would be presented to Nigerians as an aircraft belonging to Nigeria Air.
Ethiopian Airline had obliged by repainting and rebranding one of its Boeing 737-860 Max aircraft.
Investigations show that the Boeing 737-800 aircraft has registration Number ET-APL, Mode S Q4005C and serial number: 40965/4075.
Further investigations show that the national carrier is about 11 years and and first flight with the aircraft was done on 22nd June 2012 as Ethiopian Airlines aircraft.
The aircraft became Malawi Airlines on 16th February 2014 and released to Ethiopian Airlines on 12th August 2015.
Checks show that the aircraft changed colours but ownership remains that of Ethiopian Airlines.
Alex Nwuba, CEO of Ghana-based Smile Aviation and former CEO of Nigerian-based Associated Airlines, described the national carrier as unbudgeted billions spent on frivolities, showcasing, and unveilings.
“From ribbons to Ethiopian Aircraft all in the name of Nigeria Air; from the demolition of offices of staff of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to actual demolition of a few houses. From airport concessions to two funny concessions.
“The establishment of an unseen leasing company to Aerotroprolis even the drawings are yet to be seen. In the end we’re here pockets emptied and hopes dashed,” Nwuba said.
Two days after the static display, flight live tracker ‘flightrader24.com’ showed the Nigeria Air plane was back to Ethiopia where it was brought in from.
David Hundeyin, independent journalist, had drawn people’s attention to the flight tracker.
“Behold your freshly commissioned “Nigeria Air” Boeing 737 heading back to Addis Ababa right now as we speak, where the hurried paint job will be removed and it will go back into @flyethiopian regular service,” Hundeyin had said.
Three days after, the live tracker showed the aircraft was back to regular flight service for Ethiopian Airlines on its Addis Ababa-Mogadishu route, which appears to be the same route it flew before being brought into Nigeria and presented as Nigeria Air plane.
Hundeyin, again tweeted: “The ‘Nigeria Air’ Boeing 737-800 has had its hurried wrap job removed and is now back in regular service for @flyethiopian on its usual Addis Ababa-Mogadishu route – the same route it flew as recently as last week before being “commissioned” in Abuja by @hadisirika,” Hundeyin stated.
It was therefore, not surprising, that the House of Representatives has faulted the Nigeria Air purported launch of May 26, 2023, stating that Sirika, and other proponents sought to hoodwink the country.
Nnolim Nnaji, Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, declared the launch of Nigeria Air a fraud.
The Ministry of Aviation claimed Nigeria Air was only unveiled and not launched, which the committee dismissed as an attempt to divert the lawmakers’ attention.
Members of the committee were shocked when Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) disclosed that the aircraft bearing Nigerian colours was on a chartered flight to Nigeria.
Dapo Olumide, Interim managing director of Nigeria Air, had also confirmed the aircraft used to unveil the country’s national career was a legitimate chartered flight from Ethiopian Airlines.
Olumide said the aircraft returned to Ethiopian Airlines after the unveiling. He said this before the Senate Committee on Aviation.
The Committee members expressed misgivings towards the unveiling of the national carrier during a meeting with Olumide; the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation, Emmanuel Meribole; as well as heads of aviation agencies.
At the meeting, Biodun Olujimi, chairman of the Senate Aviation Committee, wondered why Hadi Sirika, the immediate past Minister of Aviation, hurriedly unveiled a national carrier on the last day of the Muhammadu Buhari administration…
Will Nigeria Air ever fly?
Many have since asked if Nigeria Air would ever fly again despite the issues surrounding it.
Many stakeholders are calling for a forensic audit of the process of Nigeria Air and many regard it as a scam, which the former Minister used to delude Nigerians, after over N85 billion was spent on the Nigerian carrier programme.
John Ojikutu, Executive Secretary of Aviation Round Table (ART), a think-tank body in the industry, advised that the project should be discarded.
“There should be flag carriers at least two: one regional and continental and the other intercontinental from the existing carriers. National Carrier as being envisaged will end up as government carrier and die like the Nigeria Airways,” he said.
Ojikutu added that no government of any developing country has the financial resources to solely finance an airline, not even the USA the largest economy in the world has a national carrier but flag carriers.
“Please discard what Sirika is doing with the industry at quarter to go,” he said.
Other stakeholders are of the view that if the national carrier must be floated, it must be done in a transparent manner and all stakeholders must be carried along in the process, as this was what Nigeria Air lacked in the first place.
Despite the disgrace and the embarrassment he brought to Nigeria, Sirika was “handsomely rewarded” by Buhari with Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), during the hurriedly packaged 2023 National Honours that have remained controversial.
Sources: New Telegraph, Sahara Reporters and BusinessDay
