We spent N651 million, not N14.6 billion on Nigeria Air project- Sirika

ORU Leonard

Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika has said that the federal government of Nigeria has spent N651 million, not N14.6 billion on Nigeria Air project as wrongly reported in some media outfits.

Sirika who described the report as irresponsible disclosed that government has only spent N651 million (N352 million and N299 million) for what he called transactional advisory services approved by the FEC, but yet to be disbursed as the consultants were yet to finish their work.

”So Nigeria Air is of course, we are going to come very soon to council for approval of the full business case.

”The activity is a Public Private Partnership, which is guided by the ICRC regulations, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission.

“We have diligently followed that. And I want to seize the opportunity to say that we have been reading newspaper reports, especially those that I have maximum respect for like the Guardian, which put out a sensational article on the front page.

”That the Federal Government of Nigeria has spent N14 billion on national carrier and they did nothing – this is absurd”, Sirika stressed.