BLESSING OMALE , Abuja
The trial of former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, resumed on Monday, January 27, 2025, at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) before Justice S.C. Oriji.
The fifth prosecution witness, Musa Odiniyan, testified that Al Buraq Global Investment, the company awarded the contract for repairs at Katsina Airport, was unqualified for the project.
Odiniyan, a retired director in the Procurement Department of the Ministry of Aviation, stated during cross-examination by Michael Numa, SAN, counsel to the fourth defendant, that the company would not have met the requirements if an open and competitive bidding process had been conducted.
“We use some criteria to determine 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 told the court.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Sirika alongside three others—Fatima Hadi Sirika, Jalal Sule Hamma, and Al Buraq Global Investment—on six amended charges bordering on contract fraud amounting to N2.8 billion.
Odiniyan also revealed that the project’s urgency was driven by the need to complete and commission it before former President Muhammadu Buhari left office.
“The reason for that payment was for the project to be implemented and commissioned before the exit of the former president. It was not for variation.
“The accounting officer sourced money from every relevant route to actualize the project,” he explained.
He added that an N800 million budgetary allowance was allocated to ensure the project’s completion.
Furthermore, Odiniyan disclosed irregularities in the budgeting process, noting that two contracts awarded to Al Buraq and another company, Enginos, were listed under separate budget codes but merged under a single code in the Procurement Department.
The EFCC, in a statement signed by its Head of Media & Publicity, Dele Oyewale, confirmed the proceedings.
Justice Oriji adjourned the case until March 10, 2025, for the continuation of the cross-examination.
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