The trial of the former Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Hadi Sirika continued on Wednesday, before Justice S. Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Abuja, with the 12th Prosecution Witness, PW12, Christopher Odofin disclosing that Sirika violated due process in the N299 million contract he awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited for consultancy services for Nigeria Air and the additional N599 million contract he awarded to the same company for the contract extension.
Sirika, the first defendant is facing prosecution by the EFCC on amended six-count charges bordering on abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of over N2 billion.
He is being prosecuted alongside his daughter, Fatima Hadi Sirika, son-in-law, Hamma Jalal Sule, and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited.
The witness, an investigator with the EFCC, in his testimony-in-chief disclosed that the first contract award letter from the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development to Tianaero Nigeria Limited for consultancy services was dated April 4, 2022, while the second award letter was dated April 6, 2022.
He also said that while the former minister awarded the first contract before notifying the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, he ignored the BPP totally with regards to the second contract award.
According to him, “Investigation into this case revealed that the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development wrote a letter to the Bureau of Public Procurement BPP, requesting a Certificate of No Objection to engage consultants in respect of the aforementioned contracts. My lord, this letter of request to BPP is dated March 7, 2022. Response to this request from the BPP is dated April 6, 2022 and the same response was received officially in the Ministry on April 7, 2022, while the award of the contract to Tianaero, my lord is dated April 4, 2022. That is to say, my lord, that before the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development received a response from BPP, the contract award letter had already gone out to Tianaero Limited,” adding that the BPP was completely kept in the dark regarding the first defendant’s award of the contract extension.
Tianaero Nigeria Limited is owned by a German, Gabriel Tilmann, whom the witness said happens to be the former minister’s close friend and associate.
Further in his testimony, the witness revealed that both contract sums were paid in full to Tianaero Nigeria Limited, even as nothing is available to show as Nigeria Air.
The first contract, he said, was paid in four tranches, covering the period from May 1, 2022 to July 22, 2022 into the company’s Access Bank account, while the second was paid off in two installments, covering the period between October and December 2022 into the Guaranty Trust Bank account of the company.
Though the contractor company was registered in Nigeria, it was disclosed to have barely existed for one year when Sirika chose it as best fitting for the establishment of Nigeria’s national carrier. “My lord, it is important to also state that Tianaero Nigeria Limited was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission on March 28, 2021, barely one year before these contracts were awarded to the company”, the witness said.
A compact disk containing the former minister’s verbal instruction to the permanent secretary in his ministry to the effect that he must ensure that the contracts were awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited, was billed to be played in court but had to be deferred to the next adjourned date due to glitches.
Justice Oriji adjourned the matter till July 8 and 9, 2026 for continuation of trial.
