An interview on Arise TV, Hadi Sirika, Nigeria’s immediate past Aviation Minister, addressed the controversy surrounding the Nigeria Air project and denied any wrongdoing or embezzlement of N85bn, which was allegedly allocated for the project. Sirika clarified that he spent nearly N3bn on hiring consultants, paying salaries, and covering expenses for the Abuja office of Nigerian Air.Sirika explained that the business plan for Nigeria Air had a capital requirement of $200m. Shareholders were expected to pay their proportional share, with the exception of the Federal Government, which would contribute its five percent share in kind. The minister emphasized that the shareholders were still in the process of finalizing the documentation of the shareholder’s agreement before making the payment.He further stated that the total amount budgeted for the national carrier from 2016 to 2023 was N5bn. However, only about N3bn had been released, and the funds had not been fully utilized by the time he left office. Sirika specified that the money was primarily used for transaction advisory services, the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) process, salaries, consultancy services, and maintaining the offices in Abuja. He stressed that no contracts were awarded by him or the administration during his tenure.Sirika urged Nigerians to utilize the Freedom of Information Act to request additional details from the ministry.Regarding the controversial launch of Nigeria Air on May 26, despite a court order halting the carrier, Sirika clarified that the aircraft used for the event was chartered from Ethiopian Airlines. He emphasized that the Nigerian laws and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) permitted Ethiopian Airlines to operate chartered flights. He stated that the government did not pay any fee for the chartered aircraft, and it was not used for revenue-generating passenger operations.The Senate has raised concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding the Nigeria Air project and called for the suspension of flight operations and other activities related to the project. They also urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to establish a high-level Presidential Committee to review the project’s processes and recommend the way forward. The Senate further demanded that individuals or organizations involved in the controversy be held accountable and prosecuted.Sirika dismissed claims that N85bn had been budgeted and spent on the project, suggesting that Roland Iyayi, the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, made false statements. He called for the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to be questioned if they had records indicating that such an amount had been spent.The former minister emphasized that the total amount spent on the project from 2016 to 2023 was only N5bn, and not all of it had been utilized by the time he left office.