Siriki’s Nigerian Air like Amaechi’s shipping line

An Opinion by Business Highlights

Just as Nigerians are yet to come to
terms on how Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi in August 2016
went to Singapore and sealed a baseless agreement with Pacific
International Lines (PIL), an Asian Shipping giant incorporated
in Singapore in 1967, on the floating new national shipping line in
July, the Minister of State for Aviation, Capt Hadi Sirika went to
London Air Show after paying N183m ($600,000) to a Bahraini designers
for the logo only, and launched Nigeria Air.

Today, both enterprises have died even
before arriving the shores of Nigeria and millions of tax payers’ money
up in flames from a government that is driving the economy on the basis
of Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

Whereas there is no evidence of recourse
to Executive Order 5 which stipulates strong and mandatory local content
in government procurements in the design of the Nigeria Air logo, it
would be recalled that in 2016, Amaechi went
with a large entourage including the Director General of NIMASA, Dakuku
Peterside, to Singapore to sign a National Shipping Line deal of 60%
funding with PIL, a shipping giant of Singapore with an understanding
that indigenous shippers will foot the remaining
40%.

In a terse tweet last Wednesday, Sirika
just informed Nigerians that Nigeria Air has been suspended indefinitely
by the federal government and that was all.

Besides, in the Singaporean failed
partnership agreement, it was discovered that before signing the deal
with PIL, there was no clear understanding between the Ministry and
consortium of local shippers in raising the remaining
40 per cent for the emergence of new National Shipping Line.

Rather, after observing that the deal is
dead even before arrival, Amaechi turned around to blame it on Nigerian
Ship owners who were not able to provide the 40% counterpart funding.

Up till now, there have been no questions
on how much was spent before the agreement with PIL was signed and at
what level of understanding did Amaechi secure the conviction that
Nigerian shippers will agree to foot the bill of
40 per cent”.

Form both case scenarios, one thing was
common; both started abroad and ended abroad but Nigeria’s hard earned
money and the prevailing ERGP plus Executive Order 5 all raped.

Many Nigerians are of the view that for
the fact the scheme did not receive ab-inito, the approval of the
Economic Management Team (EMT), all the tax payers fund sunk in it be
the Minister of State for Aviation must be recovered.

Others are already calling for the sack
of the minister and all top government officials who are part of the
national scam that may have drained billions of naira ranging from
transaction advisers, souvenirs development, estacodes
to London Air Show by a ministerial delegation numbering over 20 and
the embarrassment caused on the collective intelligence of Nigerians to
international investors.

Business Hilights gathered from a
reliable source that the EMT, chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo
clearly recommended ab-initio that government should not set up a
national carrier with public funds, but this was tactically
overlooked.

A source also added that another major
factor that compelled government to jettison the scheme was based on the
fact it was not covered in any national budget both 2017 and the latest
2018 or even the emerging 2019 appropriation
bills.

It would be recalled that the Sirika has
at the July 18th Farnborough Air Show in England, unveiled the name and
logo of the national carrier with fanfare even though there is nothing
on ground to show seriousness in the first
place.

Some experts that barred their minds
called for the sack of the Director General, Infrastructure Concession
Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Engr Chidi Izuwah for joining in bleeding
the economy in the wastage by issuing the Outline
Business Case Certificate of Compliance for the establishment of the
Nigeria Air when he would have done a study to understand that it would
not fly at last.

Another pointer to the eventual collapse
of the scheme was when the minister was running the build up without any
private sector even though he kept on telling Nigerians that it will be
private sector driven after naming it and
fleeting it with unknown fund.

At the beginning of ‘the game’ by Sirika,
many aviation professionals picked holes on the apparent veiled way and
manner the federal government through the Minister of State for
Aviation, Capt. Sirika was going about the emergence
of new national carrier.

However, whereas Nigerians call for probe
of activities in Transportation Ministry, strong indication emerged
last week that the Minister had already been celebrated and handed over
powers to run the presidential campaign of the
ruling party ahead of 2019 elections. Case closed.