COVID-19: Minister denies receiving bribes from private jet owners

The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has denied receiving kickbacks from private jet owners to approve their flights in the country.

He was speaking on Monday in Abuja at the 38th joint national briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.

According to him, with what happened with the Flairjet, even within the country government only allow for those and the approval is electronically done.

“I have read also on Twitter that they are certain money been charged for approval for flights. This is far from the truth. It is so free. It is just a frivolous, it’s just a pen to be approved. Just send a text message, we will send them back as approved. So, nobody should cone anybody and people should stop living in the past.

“For us, in this government, we are very conscious of the weight of responsibility on our heads. I have been minister five years now and I challenge anybody before all of these cameras. There is not a single Aviation business man, woman owning an airplane or any Airline or doing any kind of business, catering, taxi, hotel, whatever it is,  any business whatsoever within the aviation industry or any permanent secretary, director or any civil servant of any public servant or whatsoever that has given me or asked who he offered, or I take any money and I challenge anybody today,” Sirika said.