Ex-Aviation Minister Sirika Under Fire: House of Reps Probes Sirika Over Unauthorized Helicopter Sale

Sirika Indicted - Unauthorized Sale of 2 Helicopters Raises Questions

“The act (sale of the two helicopters) was aided by Sen Hadi Sirika, the immediate...”

Hadi Sirika, Nigeria's former Aviation Minister, has been facing scrutiny from the House of Representatives. 

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Assets has indicted Hadi Sirika, the former Aviation Minister, for his alleged involvement in the unauthorized sale of two helicopters belonging to the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in Zaria. This decision was made during the committee's plenary session on Thursday, October 24, chaired by Ademorin Kuye, representative for Somolu Federal Constituency in Lagos State.

As a result, the committee has recommended that Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun summon Sirika and the buyers of the helicopters for questioning and potential prosecution. The helicopters in question were reportedly auctioned off by NCAT in 2023 for N556,200,322 due to low usage.

Sirika has been embroiled in other controversies, including allegations of corruption and money laundering. In fact, he was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in April 2024 over an N8 billion Nigeria Air fraud. Additionally, he and his daughter, Fatima, are facing six counts of alleged corrupt practices, including awarding contracts to companies linked to them.

Capt. Alkali Modibo, the former Rector and Chief Executive of NCAT, maintained that the sale of the helicopters adhered to established protocols. According to Modibo, the Federal Government appointed Messrs Tresmo Nigeria Limited, a licensed auctioneer, to manage the transaction, which was informed by appraisals from the Ministries of Aviation and Works.

He noted that the auctioneer facilitated payments of N275,782,861.25 and N280,417,661.25 through the Federal Government's Remita system. However, this sale has been shrouded in controversy, with allegations of underhanded dealings and undervaluation of the helicopters. The House Committee on Public Assets investigated the sale, expressing concerns over the suspicious disposal of the helicopters at a ridiculously low price, despite interest from security agencies.

In December 2023, a committee initiated an investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding a contentious transaction. The committee's primary objective is to recover mismanaged or idle assets worth trillions of naira, both domestically and internationally.

The investigation focuses on understanding the rushed sale of two helicopters, valued at $2.4 billion, which were sold for significantly less, at $1.2 billion, allegedly bypassing established protocols. Notably, this transaction occurred mere days before the conclusion of the Buhari administration's term in 2023, raising questions about the lack of approval from the Federal Executive Council.

“The act (sale of the two helicopters) was aided by Sen Hadi Sirika, the immediate past former Minister of Aviation,” the committee said.

“Captain Alkali Modibo, the immediate former Rector of the college; Idrisu Ibrahim, Head of Quality Assurance of the College; Mohammed Musa Bashir, Head of Procurement of the College; Ibrahim Jibril Mason, the Bursar of the College and Adeyemi Apata, the unlicensed auctioneer.”

The committee resolved that “the buyers of the alleged stolen helicopters, Blue Horn Aviation Services Limited and Premier Jet Service Limited, and those that aided the transaction be invited by the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation and prosecution of all foed culpable.”

The House of Representatives has directed the Inspector General of Police to take over the investigation into the alleged sale of two training helicopters by the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, to private individuals at below 20% of the cost price. The House also instructed the Nigeria Police Force and Federal Ministry to recover the helicopters as soon as possible and report back to the House for further legislative action.

The Kuye-led committee's findings revealed that NCAT, under the leadership of Modibbo, failed to obtain the necessary approval from the Federal Executive Council before selling the two helicopters. Specifically, the committee stated that NCAT “Did not seek Federal Executive Council approval for the sale of the two helicopters.” This lack of approval raises concerns about the legitimacy and transparency of the sale.

“The Chief of Army Staff who was ably represented by Major General S. I. Musa said that they were denied the opportunity to acquire the two Bell 206 Helicopters-206-L4 BZB and BZC - M206-L4 from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.

“He informed the committee that the drive by the Nigerian Army to acquire the two Bell 206 helicopters is part of the ongoing effort to operationalise the Nigeria Army Aviation that was established in 2014.

“He emphasised that acquiring the two Bell 206 helicopters would have been a step in the right direction to enhance the effectiveness of the ongoing Nigerian Army operations across the country, with a positive impact on national security.

“Nigerian Army was dismayed when the two Bell 206 Helicopters that are new and only flew 42 and 46 hours respectively were sold to two private companies (Blue Horn Services Limited and Premier Jet Services) after all the concerted efforts to acquire them were denied by the Aviation College,” the report further read.

“During his presentation to the committee, Mr. Adeleke Hassan, Registrar of the Certified Institute of Auctioneers of Nigeria, revealed information based on their records.“

“The auctioneer that was engaged by the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, is not a registered member of the Institute as portrayed by NCAT. He faulted the authority of the College for failing to comply with the relevant rules in selecting an auctioneer,” Hassan said.

“The Managing Director, Premier Jet Services, Jubril O and Blue Horn Services Limited General Manager Operations, Mr Olayinka Ogunseyi, in their brief oral submission claimed that the two helicopters were sold to them in scrap but acknowledged that it was the first and only helicopters the companies ever had,” He added.