Video: “Were things well with Nigerians when you’re in power?’ Wike blasts coalition leaders

Abdullateef Fowewe

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has taken a sharp swipe at coalition leaders including the former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika and ex-Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, questioning their roles in Nigeria’s aviation sector and criticizing their current political coalition.

Video link: https://fb.watch/ACmEpKtcBI/

Speaking during a media briefing in Abuja, Wike said, “I saw Hadi Sirika in coalition. They say Nigerians are angry and want to rescue Nigeria, so I’m asking a simple question: What happened to Air Nigeria? When Amaechi was Minister, we took a heavy loan. Things were well with Nigeria then”.

Wike alleged that Amaechi incurred foreign loan debts for Nigeria during his time in office, questioning his suitability for public service.

He also implied that the coalition members, including Sirika, have failed to deliver meaningful projects to Nigerians despite their years in government.

The controversy around Nigeria Air, a project heavily associated with Hadi Sirika, remains a sore point.

The airline was launched with much fanfare but quickly became a symbol of public waste and mismanagement, with billions of Naira spent without the airline ever becoming operational.

Sirika’s static display of a repainted Ethiopian Airlines aircraft as Nigeria Air was widely criticized as deceptive.

Investigations into the project revealed questionable agreements that would have handed control to Ethiopian Airlines, raising concerns about sovereignty over Nigeria’s aviation routes.

However, Sirika has denied some of the financial allegations, stating that only a fraction of the purported N85 billion was actually released for the project and that the government did not pay for the chartered Ethiopian aircraft used in the display.

Nonetheless, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been probing the failed Nigeria Air project, and Sirika is reportedly facing trial over alleged fraud related to the venture.

Earlier, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga has described the coalition as “political desperadoes” driven by personal ambition rather than national interest.

Onanuga underscored that many of the politicians that join from All Progressives Congress (APC) had long left the party before the coalition’s formation, cautioning the public against being misled by opposition narratives about their relevance.

He cited prominent figures such as former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, whose “soul left the APC in 2022 after losing the presidential primary to President Tinubu.”

Abubakar Malami, the former Attorney-General, who “has never hidden his estrangement from the APC since Tinubu assumed leadership and since he lost the governorship bid in Kebbi.”

Hadi Sirika, now with the ADC, “facing trial for contract splitting and other allegations.”