Promotional artistic work as a precursor to the historic static display of Nigeria Air on 27th May 2023
The 12th Prosecution Witness, PW12, Christopher Odofin, an investigator continued from where he stopped last Wednesday, 10th June, and revealed in the high court on Wednesday, 17th June 2026, that the Honourable Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Hadi Sirika, violated due process and the procurement act, in the N299 million contract he awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited, for consultancy services towards the establishment of a national airline named Nigeria Air.
Investigator Odofin also disclosed that the additional N599 million contract the then Honourable Minister and the first Minister for Aviation and Aerospace Development Ministry awarded to the same company, which was barely one year old, for the contract extension violated due process in the manner the transactions were handled.
Be reminded that the federal government is prosecuting the first defendant, Senator Sirika, on amended six-count charges of abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of over N2 billion. Other parties joined in the suit are his daughter, Fatima Hadi Sirika Jalal Sule, the son-in-law, Hamma Jalal Sule, and their company, Al Buraq Global Investment Limited.
The PW12, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in his testimony-in-chief, disclosed that the first contract award letter from the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development to Tianaero Nigeria Limited for consultancy services was dated 4th April 2022, while the second award letter was dated 6th April 2022.
He further elucidated that, while the former minister awarded the first contract before notifying the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, he also treated the BPP with utter disdain in respect of the second contract awarded.
Odofin enunciated that, “Investigation into this case revealed that the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development wrote a letter to the Bureau of Public Procurement BPP, requesting a Certificate of No Objection to engage consultants in respect of the aforementioned contracts. My lord, this letter of request to BPP is dated 7th March 2022”.
He narrated further that “Response to this request from the BPP is dated 6th April 2022 and the same response was received officially in the Ministry on the 7th April 2022, while the award of the contract to Tianaero, my lord, is dated 4th April 2022”.
The witness explained the implication of the minister’s action thus, “That is to say, my lord, that before the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development received a response from BPP, the contract award letter had already gone out to Tianaero Limited,” which simply meant that the BPP was completely kept in the dark regarding the first defendant’s award of the contract extension.
Investigation revealed that Tianaero Nigeria Limited is owned by a German, Gabriel Tilmann, whom the witness said happens to be the former minister’s close friend and associate.
Further in his testimony, the witness revealed that both contract sums were paid in full to Tianaero Nigeria Limited, even as nothing is available to show as Nigeria Air.
The first contract, the prosecuting witness said, was paid in four tranches, covering the period from 1st of May 2022, to 22nd of July 2022, into the company’s Access Bank account, while the second was paid off in two instalments, covering the period between October and December 2022 into the Guaranty Trust Bank account of the company.
Moreover, the investigation unearthed that the contractor’s company was registered in Nigeria; it was disclosed to have barely existed for one year when Senator Sirika deemed it patriotic, and most fitting for the establishment of Nigeria’s much-touted national carrier.
The witness further said, “My lord, it is important to also state that Tianaero Nigeria Limited was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, on the 29th of March 2021, barely one year before these contracts for the establishment of the national airline were awarded to the company”, the witness said.
The presiding Judge, Justice Oriji, adjourned the matter till the 8th and 9th of July 2026 for the continuation of the trial.
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