A prosecution witness at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja says former Aviation Minister Hadi Abubakar Sirika violated procurement due process in awarding consultancy contracts connected to the Nigeria Air project. Testifying for the EFCC, investigator Christopher Odofin told the court that Sirika awarded a N299 million consultancy contract to Tianaero Nigeria Limited and later approved a N599 million extension for the same company without following established procedures. Odofin said the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development wrote to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) on March 7, 2022 to request a Certificate of No Objection for hiring consultants, but the contract award letter was issued to Tianaero on April 4, 2022 before the BPP responded. He further alleged the BPP was not informed about the N599 million extension.
Odofin testified that Tianaero Nigeria Limited received full payment for both contracts, with the N299 million paid in four tranches between May and July 2022 and the N599 million extension paid in two instalments between October and December 2022 through different bank accounts. He also alleged there was little evidence of tangible outcomes from the project and said the company was registered with Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission on March 29, 2021. A technical issue prevented playback of a compact disc containing a purported verbal instruction from Sirika, and the trial is adjourned for continuation on July 8 and 9, 2026.
