Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The trial of former Minister of Aviation Hadi Abubakar Sirika took a significant turn on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, when an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission told the Federal Capital Territory High Court that the former minister violated due process in the award of consultancy contracts worth nearly N1 billion to a company owned by his close friend for the ill‑fated Nigeria Air project. Christopher Odofin, the 12th prosecution witness, testified before Justice S.C. Oriji that Sirika awarded a N299 million contract and a subsequent N599 million extension to Tianaero Nigeria Limited without first securing the mandatory approval of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
Testifying as the 12th prosecution witness, Odofin told the court that the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development had formally written to the BPP on March 7, 2022, seeking a Certificate of No Objection for the engagement of consultants for the Nigeria Air project. However, the BPP’s response was dated April 6, 2022, and was officially received by the ministry on April 7, 2022 — three days after the first contract had already been awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited on April 4, 2022. “Before the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development received a response from the Bureau of Public Procurement, the contract award letter had already gone out to Tianaero Nigeria Limited,” the witness testified. “Before the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development received a response from BPP, the contract award letter had already gone out to Tianaero Limited,” he said.
Odofin further alleged that while the BPP was eventually informed about the initial contract request, it was completely excluded from the process relating to the N599 million contract extension awarded to the same company on April 6, 2022. The EFCC investigator also disclosed that Tianaero Nigeria Limited received full payment for both contracts despite the fact that the Nigeria Air project never materialised into an operational national carrier. According to his testimony, payments for the first contract were made in four tranches between May 1 and July 22, 2022 through the company’s Access Bank account, while the contract extension was settled in two instalments between October and December 2022 through its Guaranty Trust Bank account.
The witness further informed the court that Tianaero Nigeria Limited was owned by Gabriel Tilmann, a German national whom he described as a close friend and associate of the former minister. He also raised concerns about the company’s experience and suitability for the assignment, revealing that Tianaero Nigeria Limited had been registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission on March 29, 2021, barely one year before it was selected to provide consultancy services for the establishment of Nigeria’s proposed national airline. “My lord, it is important to state that Tianaero Nigeria Limited was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission on March 29, 2021, barely one year before these contracts were awarded to the company,” Odofin said.
During the proceedings, the prosecution informed the court that it intended to play a compact disc containing a recording of alleged verbal instructions by Sirika to the ministry’s permanent secretary directing that the contracts be awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited. However, the audio recording could not be played due to technical glitches, prompting the court to adjourn the matter to July 8 and 9, 2026, for continuation of the trial.
Sirika is currently facing trial on amended six-count charges bordering on alleged abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds exceeding N2 billion. He is being prosecuted alongside his daughter, Fatima Hadi Sirika; his son-in-law, Hamma Jalal Sule; and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited. All the defendants have denied the allegations. In one of the charges, the EFCC accused Sirika of using his position to confer an unfair advantage on Tianaero Nigeria Limited for the Nigeria Air startup.
The controversial Nigeria Air project, which was a flagship initiative of the former minister, never became operational despite significant public funds being committed to it. The project was widely criticised for its lack of transparency and the involvement of Ethiopian Airlines, which had been selected as the technical partner. The current trial is part of broader efforts by the EFCC to hold public officials accountable for alleged financial improprieties during their tenure.
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