The House of Representatives has declared the purported launch of Nigeria Air during the final days of the former administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari a fraudulent scheme.
Buhari’s administration two days before handing over to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reportedly used N139.3bn ($300m) to repaint an 11-year-old Ethiopian Airlines aircraft and presented it as Nigeria Air, the country’s national carrier.
The Nigeria Air is the nation’s proposed national carrier which was unveiled at the Farnborough Air Show in England on July 18, 2018.
However, on Tuesday, June 6, Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Nnolim Nnaji, declared the entire affair surrounding Nigeria Air a scam after key stakeholders involved in the deal, including Ethiopian Airlines, denied any knowledge of the launch.
The Ministry of Aviation attempted to clarify the situation by claiming that Nigeria Air was merely unveiled and not officially launched. However, the committee swiftly dismissed this explanation as an attempt to divert attention from the matter.
The committee members were left stunned when the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) revealed that the aircraft adorned with Nigerian colours was on a chartered flight to Nigeria.
In response, other stakeholders involved in the aviation industry affirmed the possibility of painting a chartered flight in any desired colour and displaying any desired inscriptions.