Botched NigeriaAir: Ex-aviation minister, Hadi Sirika, imposed German friend on ministry — EFCC witness

THE 12th prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the immediate past Aviation Minister, Senator Hadi Sirika, before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Wednesday, insisted before the court that the former minister imposed his German friend on the ministry to be awarded consultancy contract for the botched Air Nigeria project.

Sirika is being prosecuted before Justice Sylvanus Oriji, sitting at Maitama, Abuja, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with his daughter, Fatima and son-in-law, Hamma Jalal Sule, and a company allegedly owned by the couple, Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, on a six-count charge bordering on abuse of office and contract fraud to the tune of N2.8 billion.

He was alleged to have abused his office as a minister to confer unfair advantage on Al Buraq Global Investment Limited by using his position to influence award of contract for the apron extension at the Katsina Airport for the sum of N1,498,300,750, among other alleged offences.

These, according to EFCC, were contrary to the provisions of Sections 12 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, and Section 17(b) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004, as well as Section 315 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532 Acts of the Federal Capital Territory and punishable under the same sections.

However, the former minister and his co-defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them.

The PW12, Christopher Odofin, an EFCC operative, had in May in the course of his evidence-in-chief, informed the court that the Ministry of Aviation, under the first defendant, had awarded consultancy services for the botched Nigeria Air project to Tianaero Nigeria Limited (TNL), belonging to Gabriel Tilmann.

He claimed that the said Tilmann, a German, was an associate of the former minister, adding that Tianaero was initially awarded consultancy contract worth more than N299 million on April 4, 2022.

The PW12 further told the court that the said contract was later extended on October 17, 2022, to over N599 million.

The witness told the court that investigation revealed that  the contract extension was granted on Sirika’s instructions due to his relationship with the company’s principal.

A voice note tendered through the witness by the prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs SAN, and admitted as exhibit by the court, was played in court at the last proceedings in May.

The voice note was alleged to have  contained Sirika’s verbal instruction to the then permanent secretary of the ministry, Mr Enitan Abel, to award a consultancy contract to his friend.

The former minister was heard in the voice note to have directed the permanent secretary to “Do the right thing. Generate the necessary contract and give his (Tilmann’s) company. In that way, we can be paying for his services”.

Odofin told the court that Sirika gave Tilmann’s qualification as a trained captain and top manager who helped start up several airlines around the world, including Qatar Airlines, which he described as the best.

At the resumed hearing in the case yesterday, Odofin, while being cross examined by counsel for Sirika, Kanu Agabi SAN, insisted that the voice in the voice note, marked as Exhibit 37b, was that of the former minister who was addressing the then permanent secretary, Mr Abel.

“In the voice note, he (Sirika) described the permanent secretary as a person he trusted to carry out his (former minister’s) instructions,” the PW12 told the court.

He confirmed that Sirika described Tilmann as “energetic and resourceful”, which he (PW12) said he doubted “because the company to which the contract was awarded was barely registered one year before the contract was awarded to it”.