Nigeria Air Scandal: EFCC Witness Says Sirika Ignored Procurement Rules In Contract Awards

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Oscar Okhifo

The trial of former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Abubakar Sirika, continued on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, before Justice S.C. Oriji of the FCT High Court Abuja, with an EFCC investigator alleging that due process was breached in the award of consultancy contracts for the Nigeria Air project.

The 12th prosecution witness, Christopher Odofin, told the court that Sirika approved a N299 million consultancy contract and a further N599 million contract extension for Tianaero Nigeria Limited without obtaining full regulatory clearance from the Bureau of Public Procurement.

He said records showed that the Ministry of Aviation had written to the Bureau of Public Procurement on March 7, 2022, requesting a “Certificate of No Objection,” but proceeded to award the contract on April 4, before receiving the agency’s approval, which came on April 6 and was officially delivered on April 7.

Odofin further told the court that while the first contract was awarded prematurely, the second contract extension was also executed without proper notification or clearance from the procurement regulatory authority.

He added that investigations indicated both contracts were awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited, a firm allegedly linked to a close associate of the former minister, despite concerns over compliance with due process requirements.

In his testimony, Odofin explained the timeline of events to the court, stating:
“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. This letter is dated 7th March 2022.

“The response from the BPP is dated 6th April 2022 and was received officially in the ministry on 7th April 2022, while the award of the contract to Tianaero is dated 4th April 2022.”
Odofin further told the court that investigation findings showed both contract sums were fully paid to Tianaero Nigeria Limited, even though there was no evidence that the Nigeria Air project had been delivered or operationalised”

He said the payments were made in instalments, with the first contract disbursed between May and July 2022 into the company’s Access Bank account, while the second contract was paid between October and December 2022 into its Guaranty Trust Bank account.

NAIJAONPOINT added that Tianaero Nigeria Limited, although registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission on March 29, 2021, was barely a year old when it was selected for the multimillion-naira contracts.

He also informed the court that a compact disc containing alleged verbal instructions from Sirika to a senior ministry official, directing that the contracts be awarded to the company, was scheduled to be played in court but could not be accessed due to technical challenges.

Justice Oriji subsequently adjourned the matter to July 8 and 9, 2026, for continuation of hearing.