The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has summoned the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, to appear before it.
The anti-graft agency previously questioned officials of Nigerian Air over the recent launch of the airline in Abuja.
Aviation Ministry shocked the nation. When it unveiled the airline Nigerian Air. The only aircraft in its fleet landed Nigeria on the eve of the end of Sirika’s tenure.
It was alleged that the event was hurriedly packaged as marks of the actual owners (Ethiopia) of the aircraft could not be totally concealed.
Reports say that the EFCC already grilled some supposed officials of the national carrier.
According to a report by ThisDay, the spokesman of EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed that there was an ongoing investigation but could not give further details.
“I can confirm that there is an ongoing investigation in that regard,” he said.
Sources revealed that the commission would look at the N3 billion sunk into the project though some stakeholders insisted that over N80 billion was expended on the project.
The Nigerian public was enraged that an Ethiopian airline that landed in Nigeria with Ethiopian colours was packaged as a national carrier.
The minister had said at a recent Arise News Channel interview that the landing of the Ethiopian aircraft in Abuja, was “a marketing strategy.”
“We have already questioned some officials of Nigerian Air.
“We have invited the former Aviation minister, Hadi Sirika.
We are expecting him within the week”, the source said.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) disclosed last week that the airline was still in the first stage in a five-phase process of obtaining an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to operate as a commercial airline.
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) had also consistently opposed the idea on several grounds.
Speaking on the matter recently, the spokesman of AON, Obiora Okonkwo, warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to be “blackmailed into accepting a contraption that would definitely and ultimately hurt the Nigerian economy and destroy millions of existing jobs in favour of one or two individuals”.