Former Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Hadi Sirika, has said that resistance from some domestic carriers under the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) contributed to the collapse of the Nigeria Air project, despite the agreement being endorsed by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and cleared by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).

Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief programme, Sirika argued that airlines such as Air Peace, Azman Air, and United Nigeria Airlines opposed the project largely because of the limited five percent stake reserved for Nigeria in the partnership with Ethiopian Airlines.

He maintained that the process of setting up Nigeria Air was transparent, stressing that it followed due process through the ICRC, which issued approvals for the concession framework.

“It was not a bad deal. We went through every single step of the ICRC process, and we got it to the end,” Sirika said. “We had an airline, but some people went to court to say we cannot establish an airline where we take five per cent. That was what stalled it.”

The former minister also dismissed allegations that over ₦100 billion was spent on the project. He explained that between 2015 and 2023, the total budget allocated was ₦5 billion, of which ₦3 billion was released, with a third of the sum going to consultancy and the rest to staffing.

Sirika insisted that Ethiopian Airlines, with nearly eight decades of operational experience, was the best fit for the partnership, given its track record of building one of Africa’s strongest carriers.

“I do not think an airline that has five aircraft can compete in the global market with well-established carriers and expect to operate and make profit,” he said. “When the bid happened transparently, Ethiopian Airlines won fair and square.”

He argued that the absence of a strong national carrier is one reason Nigerians face higher ticket prices on international routes compared to neighboring countries.

Sirika also challenged critics of the deal, including his successor, to use the Freedom of Information Act to obtain relevant documents from the Ministry of Aviation and the ICRC to verify the transparency of the process.

“If the minister is saying it is a bad deal, Nigerians should invoke the Freedom of Information Act to get the documents and establish where the fraud is. It was not a fraud, it was a lie,” he said.

The former minister, who disclosed plans to publish a book about his tenure, maintained that the Nigeria Air project, though stalled, would eventually materialize.