Ex-Aviation Minister Sirika accused of awarding contract to son-in-law’s ‘unqualified’ company
A key witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has presented evidence before a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja, accusing former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika of awarding contracts to a company connected to his son-in-law, Jalal Sule Hamma, that allegedly wasn’t qualified.
The EFCC is prosecuting Sirika, along with his daughter Fatima and son-in-law Hamma, on charges of contract fraud amounting to over N2.8 billion. They are accused of influencing the awarding of a contract for the Apron Extension at Katsina Airport, valued at N1,498,300,750, to Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, a company tied to Sirika’s family.
During Monday’s court session, Musa Odiniyan, a retired director from the Ministry of Aviation’s procurement department, testified that Al Buraq would not have qualified for the contract if the bidding process had been open and competitive. “We use some criteria for determining the award of contracts for companies. I still maintain that if it was an open competitive bidding, the company, Al Buraq, may not have qualified,” Odiniyan said.
The witness also revealed that the company was paid a full 100 percent fee for the project with the expectation that it would be completed and inaugurated before the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s term in 2023. “The time of issuing the contract letter to the company was at the twilight of the Buhari administration. That was why the contract has a period of six months,” Odiniyan explained. He further emphasized that the payment was made promptly to ensure the project was finished before Buhari’s departure, not for any variations to the contract.
The case has been adjourned until March 10, 2025, for the continuation of cross-examination.
