Allegations that the Boeing 737-800 aircraft identified as Nigeria Air’s first plane still belongs to Ethiopian Airlines as a foreign aircraft have embroiled Nigeria Air in a controversy.
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The project, which was first envisioned in 2015 as part of President Buhari’s aviation roadmap, was ultimately presented last week, just days before Mr Buhari’s departure on May 29.
Former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika introduced the Boeing 737-800 with a paint job “Nigeria Air” as the national carrier’s first aircraft on Friday, May 26.
Mr Sirika stated that Nigeria Air leased the plane from Ethiopian Airlines, but recent information shows that the plane has resumed normal flight operations in Ethiopia.
According to live tracker flightrader24.com, the aircraft flew from Addis Ababa to Mogadishu and back by Wednesday evening, just days after the minister explained that Nigeria Air leased the plane.
Last Saturday, journalist David Hundeyin described the project as a “hurried paint job,” sparking social media speculation that Mr Sirika and the Federal Ministry of Aviation had lied about the national carrier’s readiness so that President Buhari could commission it before leaving office on Monday.
“The ‘Nigeria Air’ Boeing 737-800 has had its hurried wrap job removed and is now back in regular service for “flyethiopian on its usual Addis Ababa-Mogadishu route—the same route it flew as recently as last week before being ‘commissioned’ in Abuja by @hadisirika,” Mr Hundeyin tweeted again on Wednesday.
The Nigerian government will also likely have to pay N139.9 billion for the paintwork, according to reports.
The House of Representatives has since called Dr Emmanuel Meribole, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation, to a meeting to review the airline unveiling.
The memo’s content suggests that the House Committee on Aviation is likewise unclear about the true nature of the airline operations.
“As a committee of the parliament saddled with the responsibility of oversighting the aviation sector of the economy, we deem it necessary to be fully briefed about the project,” the committee wrote Dr Meribole.
