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We Followed Due Process, Nigeria Air Project Not A Scam — Hadi Sirika

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Nigeria Former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, has dismissed claims that the Air Nigeria project conceptualised by former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was a scam.

 

Sirika, a two-term minister, stated this in an interview, saying the government followed due process.

“I had no intention to speak about my time in office for now, I intend to bring up a book.

“It is a public-private partnership which was regulated by the Infrastructure Concessioning Regulatory Commission who gave certificates, participated actively in the process.

“It is a lie that I spent N100 billion and it is lost in the process. The total budget for the national carrier was N5bn, the total amount released was N3 billion and I left the ministry with over N1 billion,” he stated.

The Nigeria Air was launched at the tail end of the Buhari’s administration, with many describing the exercise as a fraud.

This was despite opposition from Domestic operators under the aegis of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) who have sued the Federal Government over the project.

Soft Landing?

Since leaving office in 2023, the former minister is currently facing trial for alleged corruption and abuse of office.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accused him of awarding multi-billion naira contracts to companies owned by his family members, including his daughter, Fatima Sirika, and son-in-law, Jalal Hamma.

Specifically, the EFCC alleged that Sirika split a federal aviation contract worth N2.7 billion to bypass regulatory approvals and awarded them to family-controlled companies.

The EFCC said Sirika’s daughter and son-in-law’s company, Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, allegedly received N1.3 billion for an unexecuted aviation contract.

But when asked if his visit to the Presidential Villa on Tuesday was to get a soft landing, the former minister said the case was still pending in court.

He said that it is prejudice for him to comment on the issue.

“The purpose of the meeting was to officially pay our condolences to the President who did extremely well after the demise of our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Also to appreciate him of what he has done and to assure him of the support of our party for which he is our leader.

“Unfortunately, this matter is in court of law and it is not a matter that should be subjected to the press.

”I am very clean man. I have worked with people. the government has every instrument at their disposal to find my character,” he added.

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Transfer: Real Madrid , Cucurella Reach Verbal Agreement 

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Chelsea reliable defender, Marc Cucurella may join Spanish giant, Real Madrid before the end of the current transfer window.if information from transfer journalist, Fabrizio Romano are anything to go by.

 

Romano In a latest transfer update, said Real Madrid has reached verbal agreement to sign Marc Cucurella from Chelsea.

“Verbal agreement in place between all parties, player too — he’s the left back wanted by Mourinho” the update read.

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Hakimi, Vinicius Barred From Speaking Spanish At World Cup

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FIFA has come under scrutiny after several high-profile players, including Achraf Hakimi and Vinicius Junior, were discouraged from speaking Spanish during media engagements at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States.

 

The issue first surfaced ahead of Morocco’s Group C clash with Brazil when a Spanish-speaking journalist attempted to question Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi in Spanish.

Despite Hakimi, who grew up in Madrid and speaks the language fluently, indicating he was comfortable answering in Spanish, event officials reportedly insisted that questions be asked in English.

Hakimi attempted to reassure organizers that language would not be a barrier, but officials maintained that no Spanish translator was available for the session. A compromise was eventually reached, with the reporter asking the question in Spanish while Hakimi responded in English.

The controversy intensified during Brazil’s media session when Vinicius Junior was also interrupted while responding to a question in Spanish.

The Real Madrid forward, who is more comfortable speaking Portuguese or Spanish than English, was reportedly asked by organizers to switch languages.

Rather than continue in Spanish, Vinicius opted to answer in Portuguese before turning his attention back to Brazil’s World Cup preparations.

The incidents sparked widespread debate among journalists and fans, many of whom questioned why Spanish—a language spoken by millions across North America—was effectively restricted at a tournament being hosted largely in the United States.

According to Spanish media outlet El País, FIFA only provides Spanish-language translation services at World Cup press conferences involving Spanish-speaking nations such as Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, and Paraguay.

For all other teams, questions and answers are expected to be conducted either in English or the official language of the participating country.

The policy has generated criticism online, with many supporters arguing that multilingual communication should be encouraged at a global event like the World Cup.

The backlash was particularly strong in Vinicius’ case, as the Brazilian forward appeared visibly uncomfortable being asked to communicate in English.

The controversy overshadowed what was otherwise a highly anticipated encounter between Brazil and Morocco, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

With the issue now drawing international attention, FIFA may face increasing calls to review its media language guidelines as the tournament progresses.

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It’s Illegal’…Falana’s Bombshell Indicts Govs, FG.

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Human rights advocate, Femi Falana, has warned federal and state governments against negotiating with and rewarding terrorists.

 

According to Falana, the practice is illegal.

He stated this while delivering the keynote address at the Amnesty International Second Annual General Meeting in Abuja on June 13, 2026.

Falana claimed it is public knowledge officials of the Federal Government and some State Governments have been holding meetings and negotiating with terrorists and bandits, which has led to thousands of ‘repentant’ criminals being forgiven and given cash gifts of undisclosed sums of money.

Asserting that the “satanic Boko Haram sect and similar bodies have been proscribed” under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, Falana insisted that “their members and allies shall be prosecuted and not pampered and forgiven by the Nigerian State.”

Highlighting the legal consequences, he quoted Section 22 of the Act, stating: “A person who knowingly—(a) arranges, manages, assists in arranging or managing, participates in a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, (b) collects, or provides logistics, equipment, information, articles or facilities for a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, or (c) attends a meeting, which in his knowledge is to support a proscribed entity or to further the objectives of a proscribed entity, commits an offence, and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of at least 20 years.”

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